


His Irish Angel Part 11: Prophecy

by DavinaCFox



Series: His Irish Angel [11]
Category: Gotham (TV), Re-Animator (Movies), Would You Rather (2012)
Genre: Anal Sex, Bombs, Brothers, Character Memories, Danger, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Father-Son Relationship, Forgiveness, Guns, Hidden Enemy, Love Triangles, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Oral Sex, Psychic Abilities, Sex Toys, Strong Marriage, Tenderness, Threesome - F/F/M, Threesome - F/M/M, Trauma, True Love, Vaginal Sex, War, caressing, g spot, love rivals, lovemaking, references to previous Irish Angel fics Mermaid and Pro Patria Mori, threeway realtionship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:16:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 64,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26460268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DavinaCFox/pseuds/DavinaCFox
Summary: Josh realises his nightmares are glimpses of the future - but after a series of bombings- as he seems to know too much about the locations - he finds himself facing Jax Sterling, this time as a suspect as he tries to explain his knowledge comes from his new found psychic gift.As Oswald makes plans for a public enquiry into the war with Bane, he is unaware an enemy lurks in the form of a bomber seeking revenge for the public airing of how Bane lost the war. This enemy will also target the West family, hoping to ensure Shepard will not live to name the man behind the fire trap in the Monolith building, responsible for the loss of hundreds of Oswald's men.As Shepard feels the strain of the enquiry, Julian is shocked the past is repeating –this time, it's unstable Shepard who is put in an asylum, and Oswald considers this poetic justice, angering Julian.Molly and Oswald get closer to learning the identity of the bomber, it seems the visions of a deadly shoot out seen by Josh are about to come true...Please note: I am also dealing with family illness at this time.Update : Due to the recent loss of my life partner who passed away in October I am unlikely to be writing for the forseeable future.
Relationships: Amy (Would You Rather)/Herbert West, Oswald Cobblepot/Julian Lambrick/Original Female Character(s), Selina Kyle/Original Male Character, Shepard Lambrick/Amy (would You Rather)
Series: His Irish Angel [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1531589
Comments: 29
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

As Molly sat and there and the video call began, she smiled. Here she was, in her front room at the mansion, and far away, at their second home in the Irish countryside, sat Penguin and Iris. Carol was beside them.

“How are you liking it so far?” she asked.

“I'm learning new recipes, like Irish stew!” said Penguin as he smiled broadly.

“It's beautiful here, Molly,” added Iris, “The beach is close by, the weather's good – and the village is so tiny! It's such a nice place. I can't believe you gave us three whole weeks here!”

“You deserve it,” Molly said warmly, “And Carol, I know you wanted Jax to come with you, but he's needed here until after the enquiry is over. I'm sorry about that – but the least I could do was offer you and Alicia a little break.”

“And we appreciate it,” Carol said with a smile, “We both miss Jax... I call him every day. He's told Alicia to take lots of pictures of the beach and the countryside, and she's been doing that – she loves it here.”

“And so does Little Penguin,” Iris added with a smile.

“Yes, the boy loves the open air!” added Penguin, and he shifted his ass on the sofa, farting loudly.

Molly looked away as she hid a giggle. Carol had just said _Penguin, stop that, we're talking to Molly!_ and Iris looked apologetically at the screen.

“My husband has wind again!”

“I've always got wind!” Penguin declared as he chuckled and put an arm around Iris, patting her shoulder fondly with his flipper hand, “My ass has more wind than the whole of the breeze coming off the Irish sea!”

“And the sea smells much better than your farts!” Iris reminded him as he chuckled.

“Where are the kids?” Molly asked.

“In the garden,” Carol told her, “I can see why you and Ozzie and Julian try and get out here at least once a year – it's such a lovely house.”

“I wish we had more time to get away,” Molly said, “This year Ozzie's tied up mostly with the enquiry, it's starting in a couple of week's time. There could be up to four months of sessions televised from city hall – the city council and the underworld are all there, and Jim Gordon is representing the GCPD and Ozzie is representing the underworld. There's been so many questions for so long about what happened on the day the Monolith went up in flames. There's a lot of grieving families out there who want to know why.... and Shepard will be attending most of the sessions to give evidence. It's going to be hard for everyone. Sorry, I don't want to put the mood down. Back to better times - at least you get to have fun for three weeks!”

Carol smiled.

“And we appreciate it, Molly!”

“Yes we do,” Iris added, then Penguin got up and headed for the garden as he told Little Penguin not chase Alicia too close to the pond.

“She's not near that pond again!” Carol exclaimed, “Sorry, Molly – I have to check on Alicia...”

Carol got up and now only Iris was left on the sofa.

“Thanks again for letting us stay, do tell Oswald we love it here,” she added with a smile.

”I will, Molly assured her, “Now I have to go, love. Have fun!”

“We will, Molly!”

She ended the call.

Molly sat there for a moment, thinking about their second home in Ireland. There had been a time when they would have spent most of the year in Ireland, just her and Ozzie and Julian and the kids, and Molly knew she could have spent more time with her parents, too. But Ozzie couldn't leave the responsibility of the underworld entirely to others, life hadn't turned out that way. So they had returned to the city, and Ireland was only for vacation time. And now, with the enquiry coming up, their holiday time was cancelled. With the house standing empty this summer, it had made sense to offer three weeks there to Penguin and Iris and little Penguin, and to offer Carol and Alicia a break too, especially with how busy Jax would soon be, and she didn't doubt Carol missed him greatly at this time, but at least she and Alicia were enjoying their stay in Ireland.

Now the call was ended, Molly left the room and went through to Oswald's study. He was sitting at his desk, smoke trailing from a cigarette in the ashtray as he studied paperwork. In that moment, she felt an odd ache as she missed her older, chubby Penguin – but now Lucy had rejuvenated him, she had quickly got used to his new, much younger look. He paused to look up from the papers.

“Yes my dear?”

“I was just thinking how cuddly you used to look sitting at that desk, and look at you now, young and firm...I do love it, though!”

She went up to the desk, leaned over it and he leaned forward, welcoming a soft kiss.

“How much of your time is this enquiry going to take?”

“A great deal,” Oswald replied, “And I'm sorry Molly, but I have to run through this paperwork. It can't wait. We've spent years working with the city to pull together as many witnesses as we can to one day tell the story of the second time Bane tried to take Gotham. And Shepard is the star witness to it all, his willingness to speak out is making this possible. And for me personally, I need answers to come from this, too – I want to know why hundreds of my men died in the Monolith fire trap. I want the whole city to have answers and maybe now, we will achieve that in front of the whole of Gotham. The people deserve answers as much as we do.”

“Yes, they do, Ozzie,” she replied, and she paused to kiss him again, then they hugged, both recalling the day of the battle. It had been nine years since that day, but it was a day they would never truly get over, not after the vast loss of life.

Molly drew back and stepped away from the desk, watching as Ozzie looked back down at the paperwork.

“Don't work too hard, remember you need to rest and eat and sleep like the rest of us, Ozzie.”

He smiled, but didn't look up as he carried on running through the paperwork, keen to prepare the ground for the many questions expected to be asked two weeks from now. Molly left him to work, feeling proud of her Ozzie, ruler of the underworld, working so hard to find the truth for the whole city to hear.

Josh was in the passenger seat as Jax drove through town, they turned a corner and slowed, waiting to cross as the lights went red. Josh was watching the red stop sign as he rested against his seat thinking about early morning and a kiss from Ivy, a kiss from Selina, and their hands over his body... he smiled as he closed his eyes.

“Someone skipped coffee this morning!” Jax remarked.

“Hmm...” Josh replied dozing in the seat.

Then it flashed to mind.

A map of the town, an ordinary street in busy Gotham, a pen moved in a diagonal line, from one side of the street to the other other, then back again in a zigzag. He saw x marked at each point, one side of the street then the other, then back to the other side, and crossing again.

_Four points._

_Four points of explosion._

_The sex shop._

_The bar._

_The cafe._

_The liquor store._

_All businesses with underworld investment._

_All investments personally made by Oswald._

He blinked and it was gone.

He looked at the time, the digital display read 9:58.

“Are we running late for work?” he asked.

“Late?” Jax said in confusion.

Four explosions rocked the street as debris flew and shop fronts blew out as glass shattered. Cars slammed into each other as more swerved to avoid falling debris. Bodies lay scattered and bleeding, people were screaming as dust made a haze in the middle of the street, sirens began to wail and panic ensued. 

Further back, as the lights changed, the traffic was forced to stand still as cars sped past, people ran in all directions and Jax made a call to alert security that here had been a major incident in the city.

Josh looked on in horror.

“ _Multiple bombs... Shit, we need to do something...”_

“I called it in,” Jax replied, “You know what comes next.”

Josh nodded.

“In the case of emergency, Penguin's men must attend and assist.”

“Right,”Jax replied as he got out of the car and Josh did the same, “I'll take the left side of the street, you take the right – our people should be here soon, but the cops are already turning up, they'll work with us...”

As they made their way across the street, Jax coughed as he headed through the smoke and Josh took the other side of the street, pausing to take off his jacket and drape it around the shoulders of a bleeding woman who sat on the pavement in a daze, with a shocked expression on her face.

“You'll be okay, ma'am,” he said, and then as he saw the first of many ambulances arrive, he waved over a paramedic.

“She's in shock, minor cuts,” he said, indicating to the woman who sat with his jacket draped around her shoulders, and then he went on through the debris, trying not to look at the scattered body parts, focusing on the cries of those who were still alive and trapped by the blast... It was chaos.

On the other side of the street Jax was helping a paramedic to stem bleeding as a man lay on the ground, half his arm torn off by the explosion. It was carnage, how could this happen in Gotham City? That was the thought that wet through his mind as again, as he saw the red pen and the ink drawing those lines as it moved, one place to another, marking off the plan for the explosions... Four devices. One near the window of the sex shop another planted under a table at the bar One left in the coffee shop by the window and the liquor store had been planted with a device left by the door. Tiny, but powerful devices...

_He knew where they were?_

_How could he know?  
Josh felt dizzy as he looked about the street, the smoke, the devastation..._

Then he woke with a jolt.

Josh sat upright in the car, blinking as he looked to Jax, who was at the wheel.

“Someone skipped coffee this morning!” Jax remarked.

Josh looked out to see the stop sign glowing red.

“ _There are four bombs!”_ he exclaimed in panic, _“The coffee shop, the sex shop, the bar, the liquor store... all planted in Oswald's investments... the streets are busy... Call it in!”_

“What?” Jax said, looking at him in confusion, “You were dozing off in the seat five minutes ago... What's this about bombs?”

He looked ahead, towards the scene of the explosion.

 _Nothing._ It was early morning, stores were beginning to open. The streets were busy, the roads were busy. And the sign had just switched to green.

Jax drove across the road and turned on to the other lane, driving past the shops where in his dream, everything had been devastated.

“Did you just have a nightmare?” Jax asked as they passed by the sex shop. Josh looked over at the bar across the street.

Then he looked down at the clock, its digital display read 9:17.

He remembered what he had seen in his dream:

_Nine fifty eight..._

“ _Josh!”_ Jax yelled in alarm, as he grabbed the wheel, swerving the car, cutting through traffic as horns sounded.

“ _Stop the car!”_ Josh yelled.

Jax grabbed the wheel, screeching the car to a sharp stop outside the cafe.

“Have you lost your damned mind?” he fumed.

“ _There are four bombs! Call it in, Jax! One in the sex shop, near the window, another under a table at the bar, there's one in the coffee shop by the window and the liquor store has a device left by the door. Tiny, powerful devices...Hurry up, Jax! Call it in! It's going to explode at two minutes to ten am!”_

Jax stared at him.

Josh looked back, eyes wide.

“ _People will die, make the fucking call, get bomb disposal down here!”_

Jax had got out of the car, he stood there on the pavement, looking left and right. Josh was out too, and ready to shout a warning.

“ _Clear the street, there's a bomb!”_ he yelled.

People started to panic and run, and as Jax made the call, repeating all he had been told, he made his way over to Josh, stepping aside to let a woman run past, and then he looked hard at him as his expression changed and he lowered the phone.

“Security are on the way and GCPD bomb disposal have been alerted, this is a joint effort to protect the city,” he said, _“Now turn around and face the fucking wall!”_

“What?” Josh exclaimed, “I just saved the city!”

A mix of cars were turning up now, black vehicles with sleek body work, cars belonging to Oswald's men. Police bomb disposal teams were arriving too. Cop cars were pulling up, the road was being evacuated and blocked off.

Jax gestured ot a passing cop to give him his cuffs, and Josh was pushed up against the wall, his hands cuffed behind him, then Jax turned him around sharply, glaring at him.

“Suspect is ours,” he informed the cop, “Underworld business, I'm calling this an article three. Tell me what you find. Relay messages directly to me, and to Oswald.”

The cop nodded, recognizing his authority at once.

“Yes, General Sterling.”

“Good man, you do that right away,” Jax replied, and then he grabbed Josh and pushed him towards the open door of the car, shoving him inside, then he took the driver's side as he locked the door and paused to remove his weapon from his holster, placing it out of his reach, then he checked his own gun, locked the doors and started up the engine. As they drove away from the street, leaving as more bomb disposal teams came in, Jax was silent.

“Why the _fuck_ have you cuffed me?” Josh exclaimed “I just told you about the bombs!”

“Yes, you did,” Jax said, casting him a stony glance, then he drove on, away from the cops and the barrier that was being set up, as they headed further into the city. They parked up after turning off on a road that led to the docks, and then Jax shut off the engine.

“ _Don't_ say another fucking word!” he warned him as his dark eyes filled with anger, “You knew about the bombs. Either you were part of it, or you wanted to play hero and call it at the last minute. WHY would you do that Josh? You want to be hero, a vigilante? We only have _one_ of those in this city, and he dresses in freakin' bat costume!”

“ _No, I didn't know about the bombs, I just knew when I woke up!”_

He shook his head.

“Shut up, Josh I'm waiting for a call. And then I'm calling Oswald and then, I think you know what will happen. I can't believe I've worked with you all these years and got to know you and trusted you, and now this?”

Josh felt a rising sense of panic as he struggled in vain to get free of the cuffs.

“I'm not a bomber! I _didn't_ know about the bombs!”

“Shut up,” Jax said again in a low, measured tone, the kind he used when interrogating suspects.

Josh had never expected to be on the receiving end of the worst side of the underworld, or the worst side of Jax Sterling. He fell silent as Jax waited for a call to come through.

The call came through after twenty agonising minutes that seemed to crawl by slowly as Josh waited. Jax spoke, and then he listened. He thanked the caller and ended the call, and then turned to Josh.

“All four devices were located, right where you said they would be. They were easy to deactivate, but had you not acted when you did, there would have been devastation. Why did you do this, Josh? Did you set those devices, or did you ask someone else to do it, or did you team up with the bomber and then change your mind?”

Josh stared at him in horror as he sat there cuffed, his gun confiscated and Jax glaring at him like he was about to beat the crap out of him.

“ _I didn't do any of those things!”_ he protested, _“I was asleep in the car, we stopped, it was the lights, the red stop sign – I saw the bomber draw the plan, I saw the devices, then the explosions!”_

“So you plotted with him and saw it on a simulation? Josh, you know what's going to happen now. Oswald has already been informed of the matter, and he knows you are involved. I'm taking you to the house. Oswald wants you interrogated in front of him. He's beyond pissed at you. I hope it's not me who puts the bullet in your head, but it probably will be, unless Oswald does it first.”

“ _Jax!”_ Josh was shaking as he struggled with the cuffs, fear shining in his eyes as he thought of home and Selina and Ivy and the kids and the life he had built up... for everything to come to this?

“ _I'm not guilty of anything!”_

“Save your breath,” Jax said as he pulled out of the parking space and headed back towards the road, “You're guilty as hell.”

Oswald was furious as he shoved important paperwork aside and took a shot of whiskey and set the glass down hard.

“ _Four devices!”_ he said angrily, getting up sharply from his seat and limping away from the desk as Molly looked on.

“Four devices and Josh knew where they were planted? _Josh?_ He's married to Selina, I love him like a son, and he's _betrayed_ me? Four devices planted in businesses _I_ have invested in since my early days as king of Gotham! Molly, he knew where each device was, the exact location! Why would he do this? Did he want to work against me, and then he lost his nerve? Or was this a stunt to try and look like a hero? Has he gone insane?”

Molly shook her head.

“I don't know, Ozzie,” she said, feeling sure Josh would never be involved in any kind of bomb plot, “He wouldn't do something like this, love. I'm sure of it!”

Oswald limped closer to her, eyes burning with rage as he stood there looking lean and youthful in a pinstripe three piece suit, with his raven hair spiked up in sharp points.

“ _But he knew!”_

“There has to be another explanation,” Molly said, “Ozzie, he's not like that – he would _never_ work against you!”

Julian had joined them. He stood there in the doorway to the study looking on in alarm.

“Josh planted bombs? No, he wouldn't do that – there's more to this, there has to be! I'd lay money on it. No way would he do something like that.”

Oswald turned to him sharply, limped closer and as anger burned in his eyes, he laid aside all feelings of love as he thought about the situation and how it infuriated him.

“ _DON'T_ make excuses for him!” he snapped, “You may be my husband but _I'm_ king of Gotham, don't you _ever_ forget that, Julian! I've moved heaven and earth to make this enquiry happen, and to make room for your pathetic excuse of a father to get a second shot at life and form a new bond with you! This could blow up in my face if he's still hated after he's told the city what happened during the war with Bane! I'm risking enough for you, _don't_ start telling me how to handle traitors! Josh knew where those bombs were planted. He's involved! Now go upstairs and look after our daughter, keep OUT of underworld business!”

Julian's eyes filled with tears.

“What the _fuck_ are you talking to me like that for?”

“Like what?” Oswald fumed.

“ _Like shit!”_ Julian yelled.

“I have business to attend to and it does not involved you,” Oswald reminded him, and then he leaned on his cane and turned away from him.

Julian looked to Molly, and she wanted to yell at Ozzie for the way he had just spoken, but she understood why he had done it, he was Oswald and if he was enraged, he would yell at everyone until the issue was resolved...

“Just go upstairs,” she said, “I'll talk you later, Ozzie's in one of his moods, love.”

“I can see that!” Julian said bitterly, and he left the room with a slam of the door.

Oswald briefly closed his eyes, shaking his head as he silently cursed his own temper for making his sweet Julian cry.

“I shall apologise later. Right now, there's a serious underworld matter to attend to,” Oswald said, meeting Molly's gaze, “I'm not sure how I am supposed to tell Selina that her husband has done this, but appropriate action will have to be taken. Josh has betrayed the underworld and all we stand for.”

“I don't think he has,” Molly said, “Ozzie, _listen_ to me – we both know him, he wouldn't do something like that, there has to be another explanation!”

“I can't imagine what it could be,” Oswald replied, “But he will tell us the truth, Jax is bringing him over here, and he will interrogate him in front of me. I want to hear him say it, Molly. I want him to tell me why he decided to betray me!”

Josh felt shaken as Jax took him from the car and escorted him into the house. He was taken straight to the study, where he was sat down on a chair and the cuffs were unlocked as Jax stood guard, his weapon in his hand. Molly looked on, seeing a frightened look in his eyes as he looked from her to Oswald.

“ _It's not how it seems!”_ Josh protested.

“I'm really not looking forward to this,” Jax confessed, “He's my colleague and my friend and even I saw nothing out of place lately, but he knew where those devices were placed. He knew the time of the explosion and panicked and forced me to stop the car and told me about the bombs and said to call it in. He's involved, there's no getting away from it.”

“I'm not!” Josh said pleadingly, “Believe me, Oswald!”

Oswald glared at him.

“I gave you a trusted position. I gave you a home and money and a life that a street thief like you could only ever dream about without my assistance! And _this_ is how you repay me?”

He leaned in, glaring down at Josh.

“I didn't do it!” Josh said again.

“Really?” Oswald said as he glared at him, “How else can you explain this? Go ahead tell me a lie, I'm waiting. I don't doubt I'll either be amused or so fucking angry I'll shoot you myself!”

“It was the lights!” Josh exclaimed, “I was asleep in the car, I saw the red stop sign. Then I saw the bomber draw the map, planning the explosions – all timed to go off together! I saw the blast happen, I saw people die, and then I woke up and we were at the lights but the time on the clock was earlier...”

Molly held her hand up for silence as she stepped closer, standing beside Oswald.

“Earlier than what?” she asked, getting a feeling she understood this, and it was giving her goosebumps...

“Earlier than I saw in the dream!” Josh said desperately, looking from her to Oswald, “I see all kinds of weird stuff -, since I fell off the ladder and knocked myself out! I've seen a bomb in Cobblepot Industries, I've seen Jax get shot and me get killed and it hasn't happened yet!”

“What is he talking about?” Oswald said with impatience.

Molly placed a hand on his arm.

“Ozzie, I get it. Just let him talk...”

“What do you get?” Jax said in confusion.

“Just talk to me, Josh,” Molly told him, “I'm listening.”

“I get dreams. I don't know if they're dreams or visions... sometimes they happen as I wake... But it's real. Before I fell from the ladder Lily said that I'd be able to see, and when I see it, I'll know it's real. Then Lucy told me later, I could see things. She and Lily can see and now I can too. They can both see into the future, they've both done stuff like that. And now, I think I can too. I can't prove it, but it's all I've got because that's the truth!”

Oswald fell silent for a moment.

“Lily West and our Lucy told you that?”

“ _Yes!”_

“We can ask them, I'll ask Lucy after school, “ Molly said, “And I bet she says he's telling the truth.”

Josh breathed a relieved sigh. Oswald was still looking at him doubtfully, Jax was plain confused, but Molly _knew_ , he could see it in her eyes.

“Ozzie,” she said, “I believe him. I've seen things, remember? I've seen Liam, my late fiancée, I saw him I dreams, he helped me to save you twenty years ago when Velaska took you! He guided me. Don't tell me these things don't happen, I know they're real.”

She turned back to Josh.

“I've seen a lot,” she told him, “I've had dreams about the future too. I even spoke to Fish while she was in a coma...” Remembering her prediction years before, she glanced at Oswald, _“Mermaid.”_ she reminded him.

He paused for thought as all trace of anger vanished from his eyes. He nodded slowly, then looked from his wife to Jax.

“Selina mentioned to me that Josh has been having odd nightmares, about events that have not taken place, shootings, bombings... In light of what Molly just said, I now feel inclined to believe Josh.”

Jax stared at him.

“Since when was he psychic?”

“Since the accident,” Josh said, “It never happened before that.”

“You saw me get shot?” Jax asked as he started to worry.

Josh looked over at him.

“It's dark, we get out of a car and go into a house and someone is waiting, they shoot you and then me.”

“I'll have a team sweep Cobblepot industries, just to check for an explosive,”Oswald added.

Josh felt a huge surge of relief. Thanks to Molly, he was believed.

“In my dream it was planted on the third floor, it was right before a meeting with investors,” Josh added.

“That meeting is not due to happen for another two months,” Oswald replied.

“Then keep security tight around that time,” Josh added, “Because I saw it happen. I don't know who the bomber is. I only saw his hand, drawing on a map as he marked off where to plant the devices in the city. In my dream they all went off together. But when I woke up and the lights changed to green and there was no explosion I realised there was still time to stop it. In that moment, I knew it was real – I just knew, so I grabbed the wheel and made Jax stop and I said there's bombs, and the area needed to be cleared.”

“You did the right thing,” Molly told him, and she looked to Oswald.

“Give Josh the day off. He's been through shit and he needs some rest.”

“Do I get my gun back?” he asked as he got up from his seat.

Oswald nodded.

Jax handed him back his gun and Josh holstered it.

“Sorry about that,” Jax told him, “But I had to treat you as a suspect.”

Josh accepted his apology.

“If it was the other way around, I would have done the same to you,” he replied, “I know it sounds crazy, but I _did_ see it happen. I saw the explosion.”

“And now it won't happen,” Molly reminded him, and she reached for him, giving him a brief hug.

”I'm sorry this has been hard on you,” she said, “But we get it now, we know the truth.”

“If you see anything else, you must tell us,” Oswald said to him, “Anything, no matter how small – get on the phone to me and tell me. Molly's right. It is possible to see the future, we've seen proof of that. I'm hoping you may see more connected to this bomber. He needs to be caught.”

“I don't know why these things are happening to me,” Josh admitted, “But I'll tell you everything I see, I don't know if it will make sense, but I'll do my best.”

“Yes, I know you will,” Oswald said, giving his shoulder a pat, “And I apologise for the misunderstanding. Now go home, take the day off, and be assured you are no longer under suspicion.”

“Thank you, sir,” Josh replied, and Jax opened up the study door.

“I'll drive you home,” he told him, “And I hope there's no hard feelings.”

As Josh walked out with Jax, the two of them were still talking as they headed for the door.

“I completely understand,” Josh told him as they left the house, “And like I said, if it was the other way around, it would have been me dragging you in for questioning.”

“And so you should, under suspicious circumstances,” Jax agreed, “We are here to serve the underworld, and to do it well.”

“Yes, we are,” Jax replied, then he got into the car and Jax joined him, and started up the engine. It felt like sweet relief to be believed and now, be driven home. He just wanted to tell Selina what had happened, explain that his crazy dreams were not so crazy after all, and then he wanted to sleep, as he hoped no more scary predictions would haunt him...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Selina was in a state of shock as she sat there on the couch and listened to all Josh related.

“Josh, you've been having these crazy dreams for months, ever since the accident! Are you sure about this?”

“I knew where the bombs were – all four of them There's no way I could have imagined it, Selina.”

Her face paled.

“Oh no...you said there was a bomb at Dad's building in the city!”

“Oswald knows the time and place, he'll tightened security to make sure it doesn't happen,” he assured her.

But Selina had just been gripped by a worse fear.

“What about the shooting? You said, you and Jax go into a dark building, and the front door is open and Jax gets shot and then you get shot too... _please_ tell me that's just a nightmare!”

Josh shook his head, feeling a chill creeping over him as he thought about the dream that recurred far more than the rest.

“It's not a dream,” he told her, “And I'm as scared as you are about that one. I don't know when it happens, I don't even know the house, I couldn't see much, it was dark and we were in a hurry...Jax said something about it didn't matter who got there first, us or the GCPD... must be some kind of major incident for both sides to respond. But we get there first, and if I can't change it, we both get killed.”

“ _I want you to quit your job!”_

Her green eyes were wide as her face paled, her pretty face framed by wavy hair had taken on a look of absolute sincerity as she said that. She shifted closer to him on the sofa and grabbed his hands.

“Do it for me and the kids! Do it for Ivy, too! We love you, the kids love you!

Don't stay in this job so long it kills you, Josh!”

He didn't let go of her hands as he paused for thought.

“Don't worry, I've got no plans on getting myself shot,” he assured her, “And when that incident happens, I'll know – those visions are like a rehearsal for the real thing - when it happens, I have to stop Jax going in the front door. That's all I have to do, Selina. I can't give up my job. As much as you and Ivy and the kids are my life, so is my work! What would I do if I didn't have this job and this salary? Go back to stealing? Do you want to do that, too?”

“I couldn't do that now, we've got the kids to think of!”

“Exactly,” Josh replied, “And I didn't build up the past nine years working for Oswald and becoming a General to give it all up now, over something that I know about in advance that I can change! Like the bombing today, for example – I realised it was a warning and I stopped four explosive devices from going off! I _changed_ it, Selina!”

“But what if you can't?” she whispered, as in her mind the gun went off and killed Josh and she felt scared to think beyond the possibility of her husband dying in the line of duty. It was always a risk, he had a high risk job – but to think he had actually seen this, did it mean he could avoid it, or not? It seemed like too much of a gamble to take.

“Josh, quit your job. Call my Dad and say, after what you've seen, you don't want to risk your life. You have your family to think about.”

Josh paused for a moment, knowing he couldn't lie to her, he wasn't going to play for time and say he would think about it either, he knew he wasn't going to quit.

“I can't,” he said honestly, “I'm Oswald's General. I've made that life for myself. And you should know by now I can't go back to where I used to be – I'm not a thief any more, I take pride in serving the underworld and the city...” he ran his fingers through her hair as he looked into her eyes, wishing he didn't see such worry in her gaze.

“Selina, I'm proud of who I am and what I do, and what the underworld stands for in Gotham. It's as much a part of me as my family is, I can't be any less. I'll always be an underworld man.”

“But Dad would understand! I could ask him to let you go!”

“No!” Josh told her firmly, “It's not the way to solve this, Selina. What I've seen can't be avoided – only altered, by changing the sequence of events. I can easily avoid being shot, I just have to make sure Jax doesn't go through that open door. I'll know when the moment arrives. And remember, there's also a bomber out there with a grudge against Oswald. The four places where explosives were planted in the city today were his business investments. We are all at risk with a bomber loose in the city. I took this job to serve the underworld and protect the city. That's what I'm doing. I won't change my mind.”

He got up and left the room, wanting to rest after the hugely stressful morning, but mainly, needing to recover from the moment he actually thought he was about to be shot by Jax or Oswald when he was accused of planting the devices. It had been a nightmare, and he wanted to sleep and rest and start tomorrow feeling back to normal. And Selina would have to think on all he said about not quitting, because as much as he loved his wife, Josh was not quitting the underworld. He had come too far in life to throw it all away for a sequence of events yet to happen that he was sure he could change when the time came...

The days went by.

In Ireland, Penguin and Iris and their son were enjoying their holiday, and so were Carol and Alicia, with peaceful days on the beach and relaxing strolls in the countryside, and pleasant evenings in the garden where they listened to birdsong in the well tended gardens, punctuated only by the occasional fart from Penguin Cobblepot or his small, round son. They still had another week there, and Oswald had suggested they stay for a further two, because otherwise, they were not likely to get a chance to see the house used again for months – it would be coming up to winter by the time the enquiry and all the press attention associated with it was over, and only then could Molly and her family think about crossing the Atlantic and seeing Molly's home soil, and Molly's parents. Iris and Penguin said yes right away. Jax persuaded Carol to stay on for two more weeks with Alicia. He played down the bomb threat reported on the news, saying it was all under control. But it wasn't under control yet – Jax was just glad his family were far away while such a threat lurked somewhere in the city...

So far, there were no clues to the identity of the bomber. No clues, no prints, nothing. The design of the explosive was simple but smart, and both the GCPD and the underworld were pulling together to try and gather a list of suspects.

And while this was happening, the enquiry was beginning, with four hour sessions on a daily basis at city hall, starting with the opening proceedings outlining why the enquiry was taking place and what it hoped to achieve. The head of the committee for public safety, a tall, slender woman named Maura Devon, was presiding over the whole process. She had links to the city council, the underworld and the GCPD, and was considered the best person for the job. She sat the head of a table as the others sat either side, and at the other end, was a seat where each witness would sit to give evidence. Shepard Lambrick would be giving the most evidence, but others had also been asked to speak – there were survivors from the battle, among them, Jax Sterling, who had died when the bomb on the boat had exploded, later to be revived by Hugo Strange. He was speaking first, giving his account of the day that made history as they began with the retelling of how Bane had ultimately been captured. This part was common knowledge, and it had been decided this would be retold first, as Jim Gordon sat there, thinking of how Bane was now safely locked away in a maximum security cell, crippled and under an assumed name, believed to be dead by the people of the city – there would be no infamy for him, he really was dead to the world, and that was how it would stay, to deter would be followers and to ultimately protect the city. But as for the rest, the truth would be told from this day, and it would be many hours and long sessions as people not only from the city but all over the globe tuned in to see the black marble walls of Gotham's city hall and hear these people speak, getting a glimpse into the independent island city, vast and with its own border and it own rules, a place that that held fascination for many.

“Molly Cobblepot ultimately overpowered Bane with help from Josh and it was Molly who pushed him to his death, ending the siege on the city,” Jax stated as he sat there before the microphone, wearing his dark suit and his underworld crested tie and his war medal, “Molly can not speak at this enquiry because Oswald is here to represent the underworld family and the Cobblepots,” he added, “But Julian Lambrick-Cobblepot will be here to give evidence on a separate matter later in the proceedings.”

Maura nodded, sitting there in a black dress with small diamond earrings that glittered like white fire as she checked notes and prepared to speak. She was around forty, and had spent her life serving the city in many capacities. The only hint that she had arrived here as a young woman and started out as a night club singer was her liking for jewellery and the way she styled her fair hair in a fancy swirl, pinned up with diamanté beads. She had come far since then, working her way first into the underworld, then making contacts in the GCPD, and then on to the city council.

“Mr Sterling, tell us what happened after Bane fell from the control room on the ship?”

“He had planted a bomb,” Jax replied, trying to explain facts and not think about the moment the explosion had ripped off his arm, “I was trying to disable it to buy Molly, Oswald, Josh and Selina some time to get out... They did get out and I had to jump from the top deck, it was bad timing because that's when the bomb went off and I hit the water with an arm missing.”

“And can you tell us what else you recall?”

Jax paused for thought.

He knew what had happened next. He also knew Carol would be watching these proceedings far off in Ireland, and he didn't want to make her cry because this was something he had never talked about in depth before.

“I was saved from the water and by now there were vehicles coming to try and help the wounded. Oswald took me on the back of an open truck into the city, and I... I died on the way. The last thing I remember is asking Mr Cobblepot to tell April I loved her. She was the adopted daughter of his eldest daughter, Doctor River Mooney. After I was revived, Hugo Strange and River both helped me to recover very quickly and for a while I had a cyborg arm, but the connective fluid leaked and so I had it removed and now I wear an ordinary prosthetic, but I recall little about my death or the revival process.”

“And after April passed away you married again, and you still serve Oswald Cobblepot as his General.”

“That is correct,” Jax said with a smile, “I lost my wife tragically but I remarried and Carol and I are raising Alicia together, she's my daughter by my late first wife. And I still serve as General, and do so with pride.”

“I will need you to come back at a later date to discuss your recollection of the Monolith fire trap,” she added, “But that will be all for now.”

“Thank you, ma'am,” said Jax, and he got up from the seat.

He walked across to the other side of the room, and glanced at Josh as he sat down. Josh was called next, and he felt nervous as he took his seat, trying not to think about the eyes of the world on him as he confirmed _I took my wife's cat claw and shoved it into Bane's chest unit so Molly could finish him,_ and then more questions came from James Gordon, asking how Bane fell, and how the two of them had managed to over power him. Josh related it all.

Molly was watching the proceedings at home. Oswald had two spouses, and only one would be allowed to give evidence, and Julian had much to explain about Shepard and about his capture by Bane, so it had to be Julian who would later be speaking. He didn't want to do it, but his father would be having a much harder time of it up there - and for longer - and so he had decided to attend every session Shepard would attend, sitting on the other side of the room with others called to speak, so he could give him support, but today, Shepard would not be attending. Today was all about the location of the war, the monolith building structure, and the death of Bane. The rest would be covering Julian's abduction, his treatment at Bane's hands, and the battle that had led to hundreds of Oswald's men losing their lives. None of it was in order of sequence, but in order of importance, starting with the facts regarding how Bane was defeated. The biggest part of the enquiry was to cover events at the Monolith, and the fire trap tragedy.

When Josh had finished giving evidence, he went over to sit on a seat beside Jax. The two of them would be here many times from this day on, supporting Shepard. But their speaking had been handled on the first day, and thankfully, neither man had to answer questions again.

Molly watched as the proceedings wound down. Jim asked for clarification for the public on the layout of the building and then Oswald added that there would be a 3D image of the inside of the building, computer generated, to show how the vast tower had been like a series of rooms, with many twists and turns and dead ends, which would have made escape for his men difficult. No cameras were allowed inside the building, as it was sealed off as a monument to the dead, but Oswald was keen to show the world what his men would have been trapped in, to show how hard escape would have been when Bane's deadly trap was activated.

Molly felt a surge of emotion as the opening to the enquiry ended. Tomorrow, other witnesses would be called, speaking about Bane's declaration of war and how they had prepared to fight his men. After that, the destruction of the lab where the Tetch Two virus was being recreated would be told. This would take several days to tell in detail and Shepard Lambrick would not be giving evidence on his part yet. She guessed Ozzie was feeling stressed about this already, but he was determined to sit through every day of the enquiry, putting out questions when relevant that he felt would provide answers to the world.

She turned the TV off and took a walk into Oswald's study while she waited for him to return. It was then she noticed the paperwork on his desk, and she shifted it aside, seeing a file beneath it. She opened it up and her eyes went wide.

“ _Ozzie, no!”_ she gasped, _“You can't do this, it's not fair on Julian!”_

An hour later, Oswald returned home.

Julian was doing the school run, and Molly was glad, because she needed to talk to her husband alone...

“The first day went well,” he remarked as he walked into the front room, carrying only the slightest limp about his gait thanks to Lucy reversing his ageing process, “I will be there again tomorrow, I have some points to raise about the firing of the lab and how my men did it, and how many were lost in the process.”

“I guess people need to know that,” Molly replied.

She sounded tense. Oswald looked at her, and then his eyes went wide as he saw what she held in her hand.

“Have you been in my study?” he demanded.

“Ozzie, what the fuck are you up to?” she demanded as she slammed the file down on the coffee table, “Shepard Lambrick's medical records from before his revival? These are technically history, he's in his second lifetime now, you can't dig up stuff from his former life – are you planning to crucify him at that enquiry? Because if you are, Julian will never forgive you!”

Oswald blinked, surprise registering in his blue gaze as he limped over to her and took a seat on the other sofa, now the coffee table and the file on it stood between them as he rested his cane against the sofa.

“You surprise me, Molly. Surely your memory isn't that short? He made my Julian's life a misery! Why should he have an easy time explaining himself? Have you seen what's in those records?”

“I have,” Molly replied, “Shepard had a series of breakdowns, while his wife was sick, and after her death. What of it?”

“I think that's for Shepard to explain to Julian,” Oswald said, “He always called him weak and treated his instability like it was something to be ashamed of – al the while he had problems of his own and concealed them! He's never admitted this to Julian, even after all he put him through!”

Molly looked down at the records and paused for thought:

_Yes, she understood why Ozzie was angry, but he was forgetting that Shepard had changed considerably, regretted a lot, and was in his second lifetime, and was immune from punishment for past crimes._

“Just because he was a bastard back then, doesn't mean we can punish him now!” she said firmly, “If he's sorry, if he means it, give him time – like Julian is giving him time – and let him prove it! You can't bring up his past, that's only relevant regarding what he recalls about the war. Everything else is dust, Ozzie. It's history.”

“Not as far as I'm concerned,” Oswald replied, “I fully intend to question him without mercy, in front of the world, and then we shall see how much remorse he truly feels!”

“Oswald, he tried to kill himself a few months ago!”

“And I recall a time when Julian was so damaged he couldn't function, because of what he went through in the asylum!” Oswald said as tears stung his eyes, “If my husband wants to give his father a second chance, I will not deny him that – but I don't have to like it!”

Molly sat there, seeing the kind of rage in his eyes that he saved only for enemies as he thought of Shepard Lambrick.

“He treated Julian like shit and he hurt him badly in many ways,” Molly agreed, “And yes, he played a part in the war – but do you really think Bane would have let him see his cut of the city, if he had won? If that virus he was manufacturing had worked, he would have killed Shepard anyway, he was using him! And Shepard was trying to take part in a scheme to take over a city, it was an underworld deal to him – nothing personal against us! And I know what Julian went through, we both do – but it's _Julian_ who wants another chance with him, he can see he's changed enough to risk it and you should be backing Julian all the way, _not_ plotting behind his back!”

“I'm not plotting,” Oswald said as he sat there with a gleam in his gaze that called him out on that lie, “We both love Julian, we want the best for him. And even if Shepard has changed vastly, it doesn't undo the past, Molly. Sometimes Julian is too kind hearted. I'm hoping this enquiry will make him see what kind of man his father really is. He may not pay for his wrongs through retribution via the underworld or the GCPD, but he will certainly pay in other ways. I'll make sure of it!”

Molly slowly shook her head as she looked at her husband.

“You should put aside personal feelings – this isn't about your grudges, or mine – its about Julian choosing to rebuild a bond with Shepard. It's _his_ choice, why don't you just respect that?”

Tears shone in Oswald's eyes.

“Even when I altered his records to make him appear to be my son, when I was hiding that sweet, beautiful young man in plain sight from his own father, when I was pretending I'd be like a Dad and help him get over his injuries, I didn't see that kid my aunt had adopted when I was in my youth. How could I see anything but the handsome, wonderful man that he is? You and him may have fallen in love first, Molly – but I loved Julian from the moment I laid eyes on him, after we saved him from the asylum, even when he was a stumbling wreck! I loved him at first sight, I'd do _anything_ to save him from harm even to this day, he's our husband, we share him - but even if _you_ won't protect him from risk, _I_ will! I'll show him what Shepard is really like, and I will do it in front of the entire world!”

Oswald got up blinking away tears, snatched up the file and hastily left the room. Molly sat there alone, reflecting on all he had just said. While she wasn't thrilled about Shepard getting back in touch and Julian growing closer to him, she certainly didn't want to stand the way of Julian's choices, he was free to do what he wanted to do, and so far, in the months that had passed by, he had been happy to see his father – it seemed Shepard really had changed a lot. And she was dreading the outcome to this if Oswald took him apart at the enquiry, because that was something Julian would _never_ forgive...

Over at the home of Herbert West there was a thump, and then Lily came racing downstairs, crying softly as she held out her hand where tiny pin pricks of blood were showing through.

“He bit me!” she wailed in her raised whisper voice.

“I'll handle this,” Herbert said as Amy hurried into the room to see him wrapping a handkerchief about Lily's hand, “Lily,” he said firmly, “I told you – stay _away_ from your brother's mouth, he bites!”

“What did you do?” Amy exclaimed.

Herbert unwrapped Lily's pale hand, showing tiny bite marks where sharp teeth had punctured skin.

“It's minor, she needs antiseptic and a dressing, I'll take care of that,” he said, and then he wrapped her hand again and as he led her out of the room, he indicated to the stairs.

“You take care of _him_ , please, Amy!”

As she left the room, she was looking up. She saw him standing there, clinging to the railings of the balcony on the upper floor, looking through them as he stood there in a dark grey romper suit and his little face lit up in a smile as his eyes looked unearthly and his teeth like needles caught the light. He hissed playfully.

“No,” Amy said, making her way up the stairs, “No, Thorne – you _don't_ bite your sister! Don't bite anyone!”

Thorne looked almost demonic as he toddled towards her, just over a year old and already active and on his feet, his pale skin and mottled complexion made him look like a half human, half zombie – and that was what he was, he had a taste for blood.

“Ma Ma!” he rasped, holding up his arms to be lifted up.

“Don't bite Lily,” she said, lifting him up and slowly drawing him closer as their eyes met and she gave him that _don't you dare bite_ , look.

He grinned.

“Ma Ma!” he rasped again.

”Yeah, Mama's here and not happy, and Dada's not happy too, you bit Lily again!” she said, as her son looked at her.

He licked his lips. Ugh. He was licking off a spot of blood and it wasn't from his feed – it was left over from biting his sister.

“Little monster!” she said fondly, “You know we love you. And Lily loves you too. So _don't_ bite her again!”

As she carried him off to the nursery, where his cot was big with high bars and filled with soft covers and toys to play with, he pressed his cheek against her shoulder, then he turned his head a little more as needle sharp teeth scraped at her skin. Amy quickly adjusted the way she carried him, holding him in her arms in front of her now.  
“No shoulder!” she told him, and then she took him into the nursery and placed him in the cot. He sat up and looked at her, then reached for his bottle of blood and grabbed his favourite blanket and started to drink as he snuggled up.

“That's better!” Amy said as she looked down at him, “Go to sleep for a while. Be a good boy, Thorne.”

He was closing his eyes now, contented as he fell asleep. She walked out and closed the door, and then headed down the stairs. By now Herbert had dressed the bite wound and was speaking to Lily.

“That will be okay by tomorrow, it's not much more than a scratch. He could bite a lot harder if he wanted to, but he doesn't. I think it's his idea of play. But it's not fun for you, so don't let him bite you again. He's only little, Lilly – you can easily avoid his teeth.”

“But he comes up to me and bites me!” she whispered as she looked up at him sadly, “I don't want my baby brother to bite, Daddy!”

“Thorne is very special,” Herbert reminded her, “He's your secret brother, because he's different. Other people wouldn't understand him, but we love him, don't we?”

She nodded.

“Then forgive him,” Herbert told her, “He can't help the things he does.”

“Why is he different?” Lilly asked.

He looked down at her, into her wide eyes, she had asked such a simple question and as he thought of the answer he felt a sting of regret:

All those shots of Re Agent, not just to preserve his life, but the _extras_ , too, the shots to help him concentrate, to work harder and better at his research – he had been injecting Re Agent for years, even before his own reanimation, and _that_ was the reason Thorne was literally a small monster...At her age, Lily would not understand. He couldn't begin to explain _that_ to a kid who called him her father...

“He's just different,” he replied, “And I'll tell you more about that when you get older. Just remember he's your brother and he can't help the way he is.”

Lily nodded, and then she went off to the front room, glad to put a distance between herself and her monster brother.

“He's sleeping now,”Amy said as she rejoined him in the hallway, “Herbert,” her expression had changed it one of worry, “He's getting bigger.”

“Kids do that, Amy. It's called growth!”

“I mean, the bigger he gets, the harder he will be to control. And no one knows he exists! You hide him over at the lab when people come over – and Lily been sworn to silence, she's just a little kid and she can't tell anyone about her brother! How can we keep this up for the next year, let alone forever?”

Herbert put a hand on her arm, touching her gently as he looked into her eyes and his heart filled with love and protectiveness as he thought about Thorne.

“He's our son. We agreed to protect him always, and we will. As he gets older, he will understand how to behave. He's still a baby, Amy! In time, he will be as well behaved as Lily.”

“I hope you're right.”

Amy looked worried.

Herbert hugged her.

“It's going to be fine,” he promised her, “We can handle this.”

Amy was still holding on tightly as she thought about the day she had given birth in the lab, the day Herbert had delivered a baby that no one else in Gotham knew about.

“I hope you're right,” she said quietly.

Upstairs, Shepard was in his wheelchair, sat at his desk with the door locked. He was in the habit of locking it purely because he liked privacy to talk to Julian, and also because he didn't like the idea that young Thorne might toddle in and run up to him and take a chunk out of him. He had heard what had happened, and it wasn't the first time Lily had been bitten, and he feared it wouldn't be the last. They had kept that zombie like kid in the house and walked him around the grounds, never taking him further for fear of how others would react. Shepard worried about all of them, the entire family. They couldn't keep a kid locked up...

Thinking about that made his heart ache as he recalled sending Julian to Ashecliffe. He had been an adult when that happened, but it was still getting to him, the thought that he had condemned his son to a life of hell for five long years – and it would have been forever if Oswald hadn't got him out, and here he was, in his brother's house, while he and Amy hid their baby son away, for fear of how others would react to him. It was weighing on his conscience. He needed to tell someone and as he made the video call, he knew that someone could only be Julian, because he trusted him.

As Julian answered, he was sitting upstairs alone, fully dressed and on the bed as Gertie slept next to him with a teething toy in her hand.

“Hey Dad,” he said, “Did you see day one of the enquiry?”

“Yes, and I'm dreading my turn,” Shepard replied, “But, these things have to be done if we are to move forward in life. I got away with too much for too long and if this will be my new start, so be it. I'm willing to do what ever it takes.”

“And I'll be right there,” Julian reminded him, “Just tell the truth and remember, you're protected from prosecution and the underworld and the GCPD have your back. It's going to be okay.”

As Shepard looked at his son on the screen, seeing such kindness and strength in Julian's hazel gaze, he blinked away tears.

“I don't deserve this second chance with you.”

Julian briefly looked away, not wanting to tear up, because his Dad was about to cry. He looked back at the camera and smiled.

“I'm coming over to see you tomorrow.”

“I'm looking forward to it!” Shepard said gratefully.

He paused for a moment, and suddenly he stifled a sob.

“Sorry,” he shook his head, “I must seem so weak and tearful to you, but I keep thinking about what you went through in the asylum, and then Bane... _why_ was I so blind to the simple truth that I never should have turned against you? I love you like my own flesh and blood, you've been a Lambrick from the day you came into this family as a baby - and I failed you!”

Julian saw real devastation in his eyes as tears ran down his face.

“Oh no, Dad, don't start all that again... we can talk about these things, we have talked about some of it... but not now, not while you've got the enquiry to get through. It can wait, I'm still your son.”

“And you're ten times the man I'll ever be,” Shepard told him, “You're so strong and wise and forgiving... I'll never know how you made the choice to give me a second chance but I'm forever thankful for it!”

“It's okay, Dad,” Julian said gently, “I'm here for you, nothing will change that now.”

Shepard paused to wipe his eyes.

“Thinking about family, there's something on my mind. I can trust you, Julian, I know that. I'm only telling you this because I know you'll keep a secret.”

Julian looked intently at him.

“What's this about, Dad?”

Shepard drew in a slow breath, kept his voice low and began to speak again.

“Amy and Herbert have a son, a baby boy. He's a year old. His name is Thorne. He was born looking... _different_. Half zombie sounds cruel, but you haven't seen him... he bites, too! Apparently Herbert's DNA was altered when he was once revived by his own Re Agent. He's also been injecting it on a regular basis to preserve his appearance, due to the reanimation. And he also shoots up with small amounts to keep his mind sharp for his work, he's been doing it for years! That's why Thorne is different. They're scared people wont understand him, so they keep him at the house. He never goes further than the woods around the property. No one knows about him. I'm only telling you because the thought that their son is hidden away reminds me of what I did, putting you in the asylum... I know its not the same, but it seems so wrong!”

He blinked away more tears.

Julian looked at him in confusion.

“They don't have a son...”

“They do, Julian! Why would I make that up?”

Julian looked at his father on the screen, sitting there distressed and tearful and talking about a zombie child...

“Okay Dad, we can talk about Thorne another time. And I won't say a word to anyone about this. But tell me something – are you sure you feel well enough to speak at the enquiry? It's not yet, they have other stuff to cover first, I'm just thinking, if you need meds, or maybe you need to speak with River about it -”

“I'm not imagining that kid!” Shepard insisted, “He's real!”

“I believe you,” Julian replied, “You can show him to me tomorrow, when I come over to the house.”

Shepard nodded.

“Okay, I'll tell Amy I'll babysit for her. She's going out tomorrow after she takes Lily to school. Herbert will be at work. I'll show you Thorne. But please, keep it to yourself.”

“Okay Dad, I'll do that,” Julian told him, and then as Gertie woke up, he reached for his sleepy daughter.

“I've got to go, I'll see you tomorrow. And Dad, try and relax, okay?”

“I'll try,” Shepard told him, and the call ended.

Back at the Cobblepot house, Julian lifted Gertie into his arms and carried her out of the room and downstairs, then he set her down and she took his hand, toddling beside him as he led her into the front room to watch TV. And all the while, everything his father had said was on his mind as he quietly worried:

_Herbert and Amy had a half zombie child?  
_

_Was Shepard losing his mind?_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

As Julian took a drive through the tree lined lanes that led to the house at the bottom of the hill surrounded by woodland, he was still thinking on all his father had said:  
 _Herbert and Amy had a monster child?_

_A half zombie kid, because of Herbert's Re Agent use?_

It sounded crazy. Amy and Herbert had a daughter – Lily, revived from death and made officially Herbert's daughter, him and Amy only had _one_ kid, Amy's girl, that was all. They didn't have a son! He had been over to the house many times to visit his Dad since they had got closer, and there had been no second child in that house – no sign of baby toys or sounds of a baby crying.. It was just Lily, and she was almost six now...

He couldn't ask Lily, because she was at school.

Amy would be out, too.

And he needed to see this kid to believe it – he doubted there was any truth in what Shepard was saying, and he feared his Dad was going crazy. He had seen him break down and cry many times, face to face, and online when they spoke, as Shepard told him how much he regretted past mistakes, and Julian had considered this was simply his father showing remorse, but now, he was starting to wonder if his mental well being was suffering again. It had been several months since the suicide attempt. Maybe he wasn't strong enough to get through this enquiry... But he couldn't ask Oswald to call it off, it was already started now.

As he parked the car he looked up at the old house as the breeze shifted leaves on the trees, and then he shut off the engine and got out and walked up to the front door. He knocked and waited, Shepard could easily get about on the ground floor but he couldn't answer it as quickly as Herbert or Amy, because of the wheelchair. Julian stepped back and looked up at the windows... no sign of a kid up there...

The door opened.

“Come in, Julian,” said Shepard, and Julian went inside.

Meanwhile, Amy was walking through the woods, pushing the stroller down a deserted pathway that led to the lake. Thorne loved to sit there and watch the water, it kept him calm, he was fascinated by the sunlight and she planned to feed him while they were there, too. It was her little boy's favourite place, and it was a sunny day, perfect for just the two of them to go out undisturbed by others. Amy had called out to Shepard to say she wasn't going shopping, instead she was taking Thorne to the lake. But she didn't know Shepard hadn't heard her, as he had been watching a TV discussion on the start of the war enquiry...

They were together in the hallway. Julian looked down at his father sat in his chair, and decided to get this matter resolved fast.

“Okay Dad, where's the baby?” he asked.

“In his play pen on the patio, I can take you to him right now.”

“Fine,” Julian said quietly, as he followed his father, who wheeled his chair through the hallway, then down a ramp through the open doorway.

Shepard stared at the patio. The table and chairs were there, but the garden was empty and there was no play pen...

“He was here, Amy set the pen up and a sunshade for him!” Shepard insisted.

Julian fell silent, thinking this over.

“Maybe she moved it before she went out.”

“She wouldn't leave him upstairs on his own! I need help to get up and down the stairs, she would have left him down here with me!”

“Maybe he's sleeping in his room?” Julian offered, “Where's his room, Dad?”

“The nursery!” Shepard said, “You need to see the nursery, Julian! He could be in there – maybe Amy left and I didn't hear her go, I was watching a TV discussion on the enquiry.”

“Where's the nursery?” Julian asked.

“Upstairs, second door on the left.”

“Okay, wait here,” Julian said, and he went back through the house, getting the feeling that he wasn't about to find a nursery upstairs...

He went upstairs and walked up to the door where Shepard claimed Thorne slept. He tried the handle. The door was locked. He looked through the keyhole, seeing a room with pale gold drapes and gold and black wallpaper that matched the regular décor of the rest of the house. He could only see a small part of the room, straight to the window - and the window was closed. There was an antique chest of drawers beside it, and a lamp and vase, and it looked like just another old fashioned bedroom, locked up and not used for a long time...

 _Now_ he was worried.

He went back downstairs, out to the garden and rejoined Shepard.

“All I can see through the keyhole is the window and some old furniture. It doesn't look like a nursery to me and the door is firmly locked.”

“The nursery is on the other side of the room, there's a rug and baby stuff and a big cot with high bars so he can't climb out.”

Julian just looked at him.

“ _I'm telling the truth!”_ Shepard insisted.

Julian leaned on the armrests of his father's wheelchair and looked into his eyes.

“Dad,” he said carefully, “I know you said to me that you find Herbert's past disturbing. You know all about his time in jail, the Arkham massacre?”

He blinked, confusion reflecting in his dark eyes.

“What does that have to do with anything, Julian? My brother did time in Arkham prison – not Gotham's Arkham, an institution of the same name far off on the mainland, many years ago. And his Re Agent got out of control, people got hold of it and there was chaos, yes I know and that's not relevant!”

“I think it is” Julian told him, “I get that Herbert uses his own Re Agent. And that's all the more reason for him and Amy not to have kids, because it might have altered his DNA. They just wouldn't risk it. And Oswald has people come over here, and all the places where Herbert does work and research, to make sure he's not violating any rules. He's also perfected his reanimation technique, there are no more zombies. I remember you once called me a monster when the Tetch virus made me violent and I tried to rape Iris. You called me an _inhuman monster_. And I was, to do such a thing, but it was the virus that you forced me to take that turned me into that monster. Maybe the guilt and the memories are all getting mixed up and you're imagining this monster kid. I see no trace of a child in this house - apart from Lily, who has left a coat hanging up in the hallway, and her shoes are out there too, and I often see her drawings and art stuff around the house because she likes to draw. And we both know Lily is real.”

“So is Thorne!” Shepard said angrily, “I'm _not_ crazy, Julian! Herbert kept the birth a secret, he was afraid Thorne would be taken from him and Amy, he adores his son. But the boy bites, he's not yet learned to control his urges!”

“There are no monsters, Dad,” Julian told him, and before Shepard could say another word, Julian hugged him tightly.

As he let go, Shepard was still determined to explain.

“He drinks blood and he eats raw meat.”

“Amy's daughter Lily has to have a part blood and raw meat diet, because of the changes she suffered in the cryogenic chamber when she was preserved,” Julian reminded him, “And Herbert's managing to phase a lot of that out for her now, she can eat diary, she even had cake at the Christmas party!”

“I'm not talking about Lily!”

Julian had already made up his mind.

“I think you're stressed about the enquiry, and you're thinking about the past and feeling a lot of guilt and it's hard for you, and this is what your imagination is doing,” he told him, “Trust me Dad, there's no baby in this house.”

Shepard gave a weary sigh.

“There is, Julian. Maybe Amy took him out with her.”

“Let's find out, I'll call her.”

Shepard's eyes went wide.

“No! He's supposed to be a secret! They trust me!”

“It's okay, Dad,” Julian replied, and then he called Amy's number.

She answered right away.

“Hi, it's Julian,” he said, “I'm here with my Dad and he's saying some stuff about, there's a baby in the house, that you and Herbert have a son?”

“ _What?”_

There was a long pause.

“Julian, you know we only have Lily,” she said finally, “Maybe Shep's stressed... I know he's worried about the enquiry.”

“That was my thought too, thanks,” he replied, and ended the call.

“I'm not crazy!” Shepard insisted, “I can show you a picture of him on my phone... I took one because he's my nephew... let me show you.”

He drew his phone from his pocket and then he paused, looking at the screen. He didn't just have innocent pictures on his camera roll. He and Amy were still close, they kissed, they embraced, it went no further because he couldn't, but she had sent him a picture of her pussy in transparent black underwear, and he had sent a picture of his cock with the message, _if not for my broken neck and the damage I live with, this would be so hard for you, Amy..._

“Okay, show me the picture,” Julian said.

“I need to find it...”

Shepard's hands were shaking as he accessed his pictures.

“I can only show you the picture of Thorne. I need to find it, he's such an adorable kid, despite what he is... he was smiling at me in his play pen a couple of weeks back, I'm not supposed to take pictures of him because no one knows about him, but I took that one, in that moment, he seemed so normal...”

“Just let me find it.”

Julian reached for his phone.

“No!” Shepard snatched it back.

“Okay Dad, let's leave this. We both know there's no picture of Thorne, because he's not real.”

“ _He is real!”_

“No, put your phone away. And I want you to take your meds and relax and try not to stress about next week. Do you want River to come over and see you?”

“I don't need River!”

“Are you sure?” Julian asked.

“Yes, because I'm not going crazy!”

Shepard was getting angry now.

Julian didn't want to leave him so worked up.

“Don't worry about anything, Dad. I'll be there at the enquiry with you,” he said, and then he gave him another hug.

“Just rest and try and relax until Amy gets back,” he added, “Will you be okay on your own?”

“Of course I will!”

“Then I'm going home now, but Amy will be back soon. I'll call you when I get home. If you need anything, just let me know, I'm always here for you, Dad.”

Shepard gave a sigh.

“Thank you, Julian,” he replied, realising he needed to shut up about Thorne. Julian didn't believe him, and he couldn't pause to delete pictures before showing him the photo of Thorne, because then he would have to explain he as having some kind of relationship with his brothers wife. It didn't involve fucking, because he couldn't, but it was still a relationship and his lack of ability in bed did nothing to push them apart. They couldn't stay away from each other, and it was serious...Julian would be shocked if he knew about that.

As they reached the front door, Julian paused to give Amy another call.

“I've got to get home now for Gertie because Molly's going to the gym for an hour and Oswald's off to attend the enquiry...are you home soon? I don't want to leave Dad by himself for too long.”

“I'll be back in around half an hour,” Amy replied, “Don't worry about Shep, he will be fine. He just gets a bit worked up sometimes, he's worried about the enquiry, and I think maybe he needs me to keep him company a little more at this time.”

“I'm glad he won't be on his own long,” Julian said, “Thanks, Amy.”

He ended the call and looked at his father.

“Please promise me you will rest and try not to think crazy thoughts.”

Shepard gave a heavy sigh.

“I'll certainly try, Julian. Maybe it is my imagination. I do get vivid dreams at this time, I'm going through a lot of stress. Things are seeming a little clearer to me now.”

Shepard kept that up all the while they spoke at the door, pretending to be confused by bad dreams and twisted thoughts as he waited to attend the enquiry, something he had come to dread. Julian didn't believe Thorne was real. He wished he had never said a word about him as Julian told him again to rest, and to call him if he needed anything at all, and then he left the house.

Amy arrived back twenty minutes later, after cautiously checking Julian's car was gone, before she came in around the back way, then took Thorne from the stroller and then took him up to the nursery, where she unlocked the door and crossed the room to the largest side, the side that couldn't be seen through the key hole, which was indeed his nursery. She waited for him to settle and grow sleepy, and then she left the room and went back downstairs and folded up the stroller and put it in the cupboard below the stairs, where she had also stored his playpen, then she locked the door firmly and turned to see Shepard in his wheelchair, looking at her with remorse in his eyes. In all the time she had been home, she had not said a word to him, and now, she was furious.

“ _You fucking idiot!”_ she raged, _“You told Julian about Thorne?”_

“He didn't believe me. I just wanted to tell him that Thorne needs more than this, it's wrong to keep him hidden away!”

Amy shook her head, still glaring at him.

“I thought you loved me. I thought you loved Herbert, and this whole family!”

“I do!” Shepard insisted, “I was trying to share the secret with my son, I was hoping he might persuade you to be more open, for Thorne's sake.”

“Thorne can't mix with other kids – he even bites his own sister!”

“And what about when he's older?”

Amy said nothing, looking away.

“Julian didn't believe me at all. He thinks I'm on the brink of another breakdown because of the enquiry.”

“I think you are too,” Amy agreed as the rage in her gaze began to subside, “But don't _ever_ mention Thorne to anyone again! He's too different to have more to life than he has now! If he bites other kids, he will get taken from us!”

“No one will take him for being different,” Shepard reminded her, “This is Herbert's paranoia!”

“And mine,” Amy said, stepping closer as her eyes met his and she didn't know if she should cry or hug him or yell again for what he had done.

“I won't tell Herbert about this, he will go crazy. He's terrified of anyone finding out about Thorne. Promise me you will never do something so stupid ever again!”

The pain he saw in her eyes hurt deeply, Shepard never wanted to make Amy cry and at that moment, she looked so very upset.

“I'll never say another word, Amy. I'm so sorry. I seem to be making mistakes all the time, maybe I can't change...”  
“That's not true,” she reminded him, and as she leaned down and hugged him, he pressed his face to her shoulder and wept.

For the next week, Julian stayed quiet about his Dad's strange claims of a monster baby at the West house. The enquiry was going well, and witnesses had covered every detail of how the troops had gathered for a speech that led them into battle, as Oswald read out the words he had said to his men before they had broken into two groups, one to torch the lab, and the other to the ill fated Monolith building:

“ _Today is a day we never thought would come. After the Unity Pact, we believed we had a peaceful way forward. And we still do – once the threat to our island city is removed. Today is a day that will go down in history as the day the underworld stood alone and valiant against tyranny threatening its own kind and the authorities alike! Every one of you hold the fate of Gotham as an independent nation in your hands. It's up to us to fight for our land, for the future of those we love and generations that follow them. Some of us may not be returning from this task, we are all risking our lives for our island and its future...”_

Oswald paused as be blinked away threat of tears, recalling the men lost on that day as he sat there in a dark suit with a purple jewelled tie pin and concluded, “Then I simply said, _Let's go to work, gentleman._ And they did. Every one of my men gave their best on that day, and many paid the ultimate price for it.”

There was a pause. Clearly, his speech had brought back memories for those attending who recalled that day and for others, it was enough to hear the words said before battle to cause a few men to blink away tears and some of the women to quietly sniff or stifle a small sob.

“I understand,” said Maura, “There is an accurate, highly detailed recreation of the maze of levels and rooms inside the Monolith, and you would like this to be broadcast to demonstrate the scale of the place and the complexity and how difficult escape would have been for those who perished?”

“That is correct,” Oswald replied.

“And we shall see that now, the detailed recreation of the interior of the building, a mass of concrete rooms, narrow corridors with little chance of escape for those trapped inside...Thank you, Oswald. The world needs to see this.”

The screen on the wall lit up, and showed the outside of the Monolith building. Then the doors opened up and took those viewing through a hallway, where corridors led off. The camera moved down each one, doubling back where dead ends began, and then up a stairway to the next floor, where more of the concrete maze was revealed. Floor by floor, the entire building had been recreated by computer simulation to show exactly what kind of place Oswald's men had entered on the day they stormed the Monolith. Those gathered at City Hall watched in silence as the camera travelled all the way up to the top, a large room with no exit but the open spaces where glass was was absent from wide windows. Then words came up on the screen:

_In memory of the fallen._

This was the first time the inside of the building had been showed in full detail, and the room was hushed for a moment, then Maura spoke up.

“James Gordon,” she said, “How many of your men died assisting in the battle to mop up the followers of Bane, who tried to obstruct your efforts to help when the battle was over? And I'll just remind everyone watching that the battle was declared an underworld matter, these losses happened outside of the main battle zone.”

Jim leaned closer to his microphone.

“We lost one hundred and twenty officers that day.”

She looked to Oswald.

“And how many underworld men did you lose that day, Mr Cobblepot?”

“Eight hundred and sixteen,” Oswald replied, “Over four hundred of those lost died in the Monolith when the fire trap was activated by Bane.”

“Thank you,” she replied, and then she began to conclude they meeting for the day.

Molly was watching at home. Today Ozzie was picking the kids up from school and then taking them to the park with Julian. She didn't doubt he needed that break from the dark marble walls of city hall and the pressure of the enquiry. Seeing inside the monolith had been emotional. Molly could still recall Oswald spending four days calling relatives of those lost, and all the funerals he had paid out for too, with full underworld honours. Then had come the medals for those who survived, and more medals to the families of the lost. There had been memorial services, too – but nothing could bring them back. Too many lives had been lost that day.

_But that trap had been Bane's doing._

_Not Shepard._

He had been a small player in a large and dangerous game, and lost his life for it, too. He was only here now because his brother was Herbert West, who had brought him back successfully. And if that wasn't enough to make him think about changing his life for the better, she didn't know what was – clearly, Shepard was not the same man who had worked with Bane. And Oswald was still planning to slowly and sadistically take him apart when he spoke at the enquiry. Molly dreaded the reaction that would come from Julian. She was worried this would end in divorce. But she had seen the pain Oswald's eyes as he recalled the loss of his men. And while she understood, she also knew he couldn't blame Shepard for Bane's actions. Shepard had merely been running a lab, trying to recreate the Tetch Two virus, a big incentive for Bane to give him a slice of Gotham. He was no fighter, he was not war minded and certainly, he would not have known much about the trap at the Monolith. She doubted Bane would have given much away, considering that trap had been the ace up his sleeve. She still recalled the look in his eyes when he had given the order to fire the place – Bane had guarded that secret, it was his deadly weapon, the bastard had been proud of it... and that was nothing to do with Shepard Lambrick. But Ozzie didn't see it that way.

It suddenly occurred to her that Oswald heavily blamed Shepard for playing his part in this, for the loss of his men – and it was _not_ Shepard who was to blame. He also blamed him for all he had put Julian through, which she understood - but they were repairing their relationship now, and Shepard certainly did appear to have changed greatly.

None of that mattered to Oswald:

_Shit, this was entirely personal._

_Ozzie didn't just want to take him apart at that enquiry._

_He wanted to destroy him..._

“Please Ozzie,” Molly whispered that night as she lay beside him, running a hand down a firm body that used to be much heavier and older, “Don't go too hard on Shepard. Think of Julian. Please don't do this. I know you blame him for what he did to him, and I get that part, but he's changed. And we don't have to be best mates with the bloke – but Julian wants a bond with him, he's already building one.”

As they lay side by side, Julian was on the other side of the bed, snoring lightly as he slept on, oblivious to the conversation.

Oswald kept his voice low.

“Why don't you run your fingers through his hair and feel those old scars, Molly?” Oswald said quietly as pain reflected in his eyes, “Think about what he was like when he first got out of that asylum after five years of being used like a lab rat! Think about what he went through, all because Shepard left him there! Julian is only giving him another chance because he's too kind for his own good! If I'd had a father like Shepard Lambrick I would have killed him long ago!”

“But he's not you,” Molly reminded him, stroking his arm as she felt his muscles tense, “It's not about anyone but Julian and what he wants, what makes him happy. Don't sabotage it, for his sake! And Shepard isn't very strong emotionally. If you take him apart at that enquiry, it could kill him.”

“Good!” Oswald replied in defiance, and he turned his back on Molly and closed his eyes, fully aware of his plans, and feeling perfectly justified to sleep well as he plotted them, too.

Molly turned on her back and gave a sigh.

“Don't do it,Ozzie!” she whispered, “It could break you and him up – and me and Julian, too – he could walk out on us both if you do this to his father! Think about the kids, you could hurt our family if you do this!”

Oswald gave no reply, already slipping into a deep sleep. Julian was on his side, snoring softly against the pillow, oblivious to all that had been said as Molly turned over, watching him sleep as she quietly worried for Oswald's plan and exactly what it could mean for his relationship with Julian.

_The enquiry went on._

Every day, early in the morning, the GCPD bomb squad checked the building before anyone could enter. The building was locked up and guarded through the night and come morning, the same process would start again until the bomber was caught. Time had started to go by and with every day, the media attention was on Gotham City and the war enquiry as people fed their fascination for a place that was considered shut off from the world, in a world of its own, as news reports were written and footage was screened and social media lit up with a new fascination:

The independent island City of Gotham.

It amused Jax Sterling greatly to read in a newsfeed that apparently, General Sterling was _kind of cute_. After hearing his story, many people had said they were fans and that he should have his life story told. Jax had been contacted by a film maker interested in making a movie of his life. He had laughed and said he would pass that on to his wife when she returned from her vacation, and see what she made of the suggestion.

Josh had felt a little uncomfortable with the acquiring of fan girls, it was bad enough that the women of Gotham were eyeing him up daily because of the suit he wore and the crest on his tie, and now his Twitter was full of attention from women all over the globe who wanted to talk to _General Josh_. He switched his network to Gotham City only, thankful to block it all out. For now, the visions had stopped – except for that horrible nightmare about Jax taking a bullet, and then him doing the same. It persisted, on and off, as Josh tried to turn all of his attention to attending the enquiry with Jax. As for Oswald, he was used to media attention. He ignored it all, focusing only what he wanted to say at the enquiry to prompt clear explanations for those who needed answers.

Finally, the day came for Shepard to begin to give his evidence. Josh and Jax had called for him, making the arrangement to take him to and from the meetings for as long as required. Julian would also be in attendance, purely to make sure his Dad could cope. He would have to speak on this day too, and he wasn't concerned about it. But when Shepard came in and he saw how pale and tense he looked, he started to worry. He hadn't even taken his turn for questions yet, and he already looked exhausted from the strain of it all.

“It will be okay,” he said, placing a hand on his shoulder as he paused to speak to him before the proceedings began.

“Thank you, Julian,” was all Shepard said in reply, and then he pushed his chair over to the space made for him at the table, and waited for yet another day of the enquiry to start.

Molly was watching at home. She felt sick at the thought of what Ozzie was planning to do, and had twice warned him that morning to think of the marriage the three of them shared – Oswald had said nothing would break them up and Julian would understand - eventually - why he was so harsh towards Shepard, when he gave the matter some thought. Molly was sure he would not. It seemed for all his power and years of experience running the underworld, when it came to punishing Shepard, Ozzie was being ruled by his heart, his anger and by his need for vengeance, too...

In City Hall, Julian was called to speak. He sat there on the other side of the table, looking at Maura and ignoring the cameras in the room that sent the meeting out to the city and the world beyond its borders.

“Julian Lambrick- Cobblepot,” she said, “Husband to Molly and Oswald Cobblepot and father of Lucy and birth father of Gertie, can we begin some background to clarify for those watching why you once took up the false identity of being Oswald's son, years before your marriage?”

“At the time I had a bad relationship with my real father. Oswald altered records to ensure Shepard could use no power to remove me from the Cobblepot home. I went back to using my own name later, when I married Oswald and Molly.”

“And could you please explain the relevance of the threat your father Shepard posed back then?” she added.

Julian took a deep breath.

“I had a breakdown after the death of my mother and became unmanageable. At the time Shepard – in his previous lifetime which is immune from prosecution now – was in the process of developing a new Tetch virus. His goal was to also create a vaccine that would earn him billions. But the vaccine didn't work and I was infected with the virus and it made me dangerous. He sent me back to the asylum and left me there and I became a test subject. Oswald got me out five years later.”

“And the Tetch virus strain was back in development at the time of the war with Bane.”

“Yes, that's correct,” Julian replied, “My father did a deal with Bane to develop the virus – but Oswald's men blew up the lab. Shepard Lambrick was a small player in a big game. He only knew if his people developed the virus, Bane would pay him. Instead Bane killed him when he realised he was losing the battle, and then my father was later revived from death.”

Maura nodded, recalling Herbert West was immune from prosecution because he had committed no crime in Gotham, and had been given full protection by Oswald.

“He was revived by a close relative who is not relevant to this hearing and will not be named,” Maura added, “And then he lived in Gotham City undetected until recently.”

“Yes,” Julian replied, “But my father has changed. He's on to his second life time and in that second life, post reanimation, he has done no wrong. He is genuinely remorseful regarding past crimes and is willing to answer any question this committee demands. He's also willing to pull together, with help from the underworld, old legitimate contacts of good reputation to form an alliance to create a Lambrick Corporation run heath care system for those in the city with low income. Shepard wants to give back to the city when this is over, as his thanks for being able to start a new life.”

Julian looked over at Shepard and smiled, as Shepard silently felt thankful for that gesture of love his son had just given at this difficult and stressful time.

“I'd just like to add that my father and I have made a new start,” Julian said, “He is a changed man. As former mayor of this city I would never bring anyone close to my family or the people of Gotham if I believed them to be a threat. My father is no longer a threat and genuinely wants to make amends for the past, which on a personal level is between him and me and on a larger scale, for the public interest, means he will do exactly as he promises for the people. He will serve, as directed by the underworld, for the greater good. And please remember his role in the war was minor and he is not the same person he was back then, he really is changed for the better.”

Maura held up a hand for silence.

“Yes, we understand you and your father are close now, and that in his former life he was very different to the man who will speak before us today. You can sit down now, Mr Lambrick-Cobblepot, and thank you.”

Julian nodded, then left his seat and went to the other side of the room.

As Maura addressed Shepard, the camera switched to him, sitting there in a dark grey suit with a shirt open at the throat. He looked well groomed but nervous as he waited for Maura to begin to speak.

“This enquiry is purely regarding the war with Bane,” she said, “We had enough background from Julian, and your past is written off because you are in your second lifetime, but your evidence is still relevant to this enquiry. Mr Lambrick, I will start by asking you about the details of the fire trap set in the Monolith building. How much do you know?”

“Very little,” he replied, “Bane was only interested in my direction of others to work on replicating Tetch Two. I was given a lab and staff and left to get on with it.”

“And what about the abduction of your son by Bane, the event that sparked the war?”

“I had no contact with Julian at the time,” he stated into the microphone, “I was still very much decided that my relationship with my son was over, that we no longer had a bond, I now know I was very wrong to have ever abandoned him... But when Bane said to me he was taking Julian, I stayed silent. I knew if I objected, he would have killed me. And Julian and I had nothing left between us at that point in time.”

James Gordon spoke up.

“Mr Lambrick, can you tell us who physically set the fire trap?”

“Yes, I can offer some light on that – but understand I had nothing to do with it. I'm a businessman, not an arsonist! Bane kept me out of that side of things. He said he had a trap laid by an expert, and it would capture a vast number of Oswald's men. _Capture_. He did not say _kill_.”

“And you assumed he was planning to keep them alive?” Jim asked.

To Shepard, that seemed like a stupid question.

“I'm a businessman,” he reminded him, “I would assume if someone is going to trap four hundred men in a time of war, those men would be prisoners and forced to then fight for the enemy. Killing them would be a waste of life and the potential to increase the size of the army at a time when it was needed.”

Jim looked back at Shepard, accepting his answer. He had been a cop long enough to know when a person was lying, and Shepard was not, he could see it in his eyes. He was about to ask more about the identity of the arsonist who planned the trap, but Oswald suddenly spoke up.

“I need to speak!”

Maura nodded in agreement.

Oswald rose from his seat, leaning on the desk as he looked at Shepard.

“Even though records from your past life are considered history now, I think it's _very_ relevant that you had several breakdowns before and after the death of your wife. I also think you saw the same condition in Julian and hated him for inheriting your mental instability, and _that_ was why you condemned him to life in an asylum, because he was a mirror of everything you hated about yourself!” Oswald said accusingly.

Maura looked at him sharply.

“Mr Cobblepot, this an unbiased review of what happened regarding the war with Bane. It is NOT about the past or personal issues regarding your husband Julian!”

Shepard sat there, his face pale as he blinked back tears.

“Oswald.. why... _Why_ would you bring this up?”

Jax and Josh had been standing behind him, and Jax put a hand on his shoulder.

“Please be calm,” he said, “This isn't a question relevant to the enquiry...take a deep breath.”

He kept his hand on Shepard's shoulder as he felt him shake as he struggled to hold back his tears.

Julian had just seen what had happened, and he stared at Oswald, then looked to his father.

“ _I'm sorry!”_ Shepard wept, and Maura called for silence.

“This enquiry is closed for today, we will resume tomorrow, cameras _off,_ please!” she ordered.

The camera stopped filming, closing off the rest of the meeting from the eyes of the world. Then Maura looked angrily to Oswald, who stood there with a victorious look on his face.

“ _And it doesn't matter that you're the king of Gotham,”_ she said sharply, _“You could be the biggest cock on the planet and I'd still shut this down – and I'll throw_ _you out of the proceedings indefinitely if you try something like that again, Oswald!”_

“I won't be disruptive tomorrow,” he assured her smugly, and then he looked to Shepard, “Julian inherited _your_ instability and you hated him for it, you hated him because you're not so perfect yourself, so you abandoned him, you left him in that asylum to die! I despise you for what you did! Don't ever think you can get a new start in this city! _Julian is MY husband, and I will never forgive the harm you caused him!_ ”

Josh looked in alarm at Oswald. Jim Gordon had stood up too, and was sternly reminding him of why they were here, and how this wasn't the time or place for personal grudges as Oswald smirked.

Josh put a hand on the back of Shepard's wheelchair, feeling unsteady for a split second.

“ _I'll fetch the car,” said Jax, taking his hand off Shepard's shoulder._

“ _Dad,” Julian stood up and looked over at him, “I get it, I understand. I didn't know about your history, I get that I'm like you, and you hated it - but I don't hate you now!”_

_Jax had turned for the door._

_Julian said it again._

“ _I don't hate you, Dad!”_

_Shepard gave a sob._

“ _Yes, you do, you can't forgive me, I've lost you!” he wept, and he pulled a loaded gun from his pocket and put it to his temple and pulled the trigger as blood spattered the desk._

Josh blinked.

Jim Gordon was telling Oswald this wasn't the time and place for personal grudges.

Jax turned away.

“I'll fetch the car,” he said.

Shepard was weeping.

Julian was saying he understood, and he didn't hate him.

“ _Yes you do, you can't forgive me, I've lost you!”_ Shepard said tearfully, and as he reached into his pocket, Josh knew what would happen next unless he acted fast...


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Shepard pulled the gun from his pocket and began to raise it to his head. Josh dived for the gun as Jax turned around, saw the commotion and reached in, pinning Shepard to his seat as Josh closed his hand about the weapon, forcing his finger away from the trigger.

“ _Drop it!”_ Josh yelled, _“Drop the gun, Shepard!”_

He lost his grip on the weapon as Josh snatched it away, breathing a relieved sigh. Jax was comforting Shepard, who was sobbing helplessly as he sat there, and as Julian pushed through the gathered crowd, he shifted back.

“Julian's right here, it's okay,” Jax said softly, and as Julian tearfully hugged his father, Jax stepped away towards the door, making a call to River.

Josh was still feeling shaken. _He had seen what was about to happen. He had seen Shepard blow his brains out – and then, he had stopped it from happening. Again, he had saved a life, but this time, he didn't even bother to mention the premonition, it wasn't about the bomber, this was unrelated – he had seen a suicide and managed to prevent it, and that was all that mattered._ _Oh, and the other thing..._ he looked across the room at Oswald, who stood there in utter dismay. _His boss, who he had always admired had just pushed a vulnerable guy, who was far more fragile than anyone realised, right over the edge.,,_ He looked away, placing a hand on Shepard's shoulder as Julian spoke quietly to him. _If Oswald was going to pretend to be shocked about this, he could get on with it alone...._

“I called River,” Jax said as he glanced over.

Oswald nodded, and then grabbed his cane and limped away from the room, heading out the back way to where his car was waiting. He had thought for so long about the moment he would hurl the truth in Shepard's face - a truth he was sure Julian didn't know, that he had been rejected all those years ago for having the same condition as Shepard. It was a cruel twist of fate, maybe it was just coincidence that the boy he had adopted was as unstable as he was, or maybe he had somehow handed on his fears and dark moods as he raised him – but Shepard had rejected Julian for seeing a weakness in him that he had in himself, and had concealed until now.

And Julian was over there, holding him as he wept.

That was _not_ the outcome Oswald had expected, and the look Julian gave him as he glanced around felt like a slap to the face. Julian was looking at him as if he hated him. And strangely, for all his need for revenge, now he had done it and Shepard had almost blown his own brains out in front of a packed room in City Hall, Oswald _didn't_ feel a sense of satisfaction. In fact, he felt shitty about everything as Molly's warning came to mind, about how his actions might break up their family...

The phone rang as he got into the waiting car. It pulled away as he answered, and Molly was furious, as predicted.

“ _You utter prick, Ozzie!”_ she fumed, _“I saw those cameras go off, you've done it, haven't you, I knew you would!”_

Oswald blinked away tears. He should have been travelling home with Julian, but the space beside him was empty.

“Shepard reacted badly. Far worse than I expected. I was hoping Julian would see him for the cruel and selfish man he was, hiding his own mental condition and then condemning Julian for having the same when he grew up! I thought Julian would turn his back on him and that would be the end of it! But, Julian is with him, comforting him as we speak.”

“Is he okay?” Molly asked as worry crept into her voice.

“Julian? No, he looked at me like he wanted to kill me, Molly. I should have listened to you.”

“Well obviously, he hates you for it!” Molly said angrily, “I warned you, Ozzie! And what about Shepard? What exactly happened?”

Oswald gave a sigh.

“He pulled out a loaded gun and tried to shoot himself in the head. Thankfully Josh stopped him in time – I'll never know how he reacted so fast – but he's a weeping mess and Julian is with him. Molly I'm sorry, I can see it now - I never should have thrown those facts in his face, in front of Julian, at the enquiry! What else can I say, I went too far!”

“ _Too bloody far?”_ Molly raged, _“You've wrecked our marriage to Julian! He won't forgive you for this! You did it in front of the whole world, too!”_

“The cameras were off when he pulled the gun.”

“I don't bloody care when they switched off, do you understand what you've done to our relationship with Julian?”

Suddenly Oswald couldn't hold back a heavy sob.

“ _Yes, Molly, I do! I think I've just wrecked our marriage, I think he's going to leave us!”_

He was still sobbing as Molly angrily cut off the call, and then she tried Julian's phone, ready to explain that she had tried to stop Oswald from doing this today. Julian didn't answer on the first try. She rang him again, and he picked up.

“Molly, have you spoken to Oswald?” he sounded upset.

“Yes, I did. I know what he's done but Julian, I told him not to do it! He had Shepard's file in front of him weeks ago, I told him not to do it and he didn't listen!”

“ _You fucking KNEW?”_

She heard emotion breaking his voice.

“Julian, Ozzie lost four hundred men in Bane's fire trap! And he hates anyone associated with him, and we _both_ know about the torture Shepard put you through! But I know Shepard's changed. I told him that, but he wouldn't listen! I told him it wasn't about us, it was about what _you_ wanted – and he went against it. I tried, love. And I'm sorry!”

“Molly, you should have warned me!” Julian paused for a moment as the phone shifted away from his ear, then he spoke again, “I've got to go...Dad, calm down...”

His voice faded for a moment.

“Where are you?”

Molly had to ask the question twice before he heard her.

“I'm at the clinic with River, she's taking a look at Dad, he's in a real mess, keeps talking about the past, everything that happened with me... he can't attend the enquiry any more, he's done with that. It's killing him...I have to go.”

Julian hung up.

Molly walked out of the room and into the hallway, hearing the sound of a car on the driveway. Oswald was home and she was not looking forward to the confrontation that was about to happen...

As Ozzie walked in, he felt Molly's anger heavy in the air. He closed the front door and stood there, as she walked out to meet him.

“ _You fucking prick, Ozzie! I TOLD you to leave it alone, this was Julian's decision, and now tell me, where's he gone? He's going to be with his Dad, because that's where he WANTED to be! You trying to push them apart is taking him away from us! You're driving him away! We both love him and you're destroying that, Oswald!”_

He blinked away tears. He was in no mood to yell at Molly, who was enraged by all that had happened.

“I should have listened to you,” he said quietly, “I should have listened Molly, but I didn't and I am so sorry I screwed this up, for me and you, and Julian... I love him as much as you do and if he leaves, I'm to blame. If you leave too, I'm to blame. _I fully accept that_.”

She saw such resignation in his eyes, he knew he had made the wrong choice, and was already paying heavily for it, but her sympathy was with Julian, who had seen Ozzie make his father fall apart at the enquiry, and so badly that he had put a gun to his own head...

“I'm going to call Julian again, I need to know what's happening,” Molly said, and she drew her phone from her pocket and walked away, heading for the garden as Oswald stood there alone, regretting a plan that had once seemed so simple, yet had such terrible fallout.

Julian didn't answer his phone. Molly left the house and took a drive over to River's clinic, and as she parked out the back, she saw Julian's car was there. Molly got out and hurried inside, and as she headed up the corridor, she heard Julian shouting.

“ _No, he's not going to fucking Arkham!”_ he yelled, _“River, you can't do this! It's an asylum!”_

Molly turned the corner and hurried on, catching up with Julian and River as they stood together in the corridor, Julian looked tearful as River patiently stood her ground.

“What's this about?” Molly asked.

“It's Shepard's second suicide attempt,” River told her, “And he's still talking about the past and all the terrible things he did to Julian when he sent him away to Ashecliffe, he keeps saying he wants to die, that he's going to die, he smashed a glass on a table in the room where he was resting, he tried to cut his wrist again, I had to have him restrained and now he's knocked out on the strongest meds I can give without a psychiatric evaluation, but he needs to be in Arkham. It's a very good hospital, nothing like the old days, and Julian seems to think I'm sending his father to the kind of place he was in on Shutter island.”

“My Dad, “ Julian said angrily, “Is NOT going to an asylum!”

“I know you have Ptsd,” River reminded him, “And this is triggering you, but it's not like it used to be. Arkham is a very good hospital and he needs help, he's very unstable and a danger to himself.”

“ _This is Oswald's fault!”_

Julian was tearful as he looked at Molly, “And you _knew_ he was planning to do this at the enquiry? You didn't warn me? How could you do that!”

“I told Ozzie not to do it, Julian! He didn't listen. Believe me, I tried.”

Julian turned away and went into his father's room, keen to sit beside him until he was taken to Arkham.

“Julian's wrong about Arkham,” River reminded her.

“I know,” Molly agreed, “But this never should have happened. I told Oswald not to do this! It's your Dad who did this, River – he wanted revenge, for Bane, for the Monolith building, for everything Shepard ever did to Julian years ago... I told him this would break our marriage, he didn't listen to a word I said!”

“Dad can be emotional when it comes to the war, and how many men he lost. I guess he still hates Shepard for his involvement with Bane, I get all of it, Molly. But he knew he'd tried to kill himself a few months back. He may as well have pulled a gun and and shot him instead of throwing the past at him like that – either way can be just as deadly. Shepard is in a real mess and if he doesn't respond to treatment, he's going to stay in there for a long time, and there's no guarantees he wont try it again.”

Julian opened up the door and looked out into the corridor.

“You can take him to Arkham,” he said, “But understand this, I'm Oswald's husband, and if I don't want him to stay in there, I'll get him the fuck out again. And it's not negotiable, River.”

“It might be in his best interest to stay there for a while,” she pointed out. Julian shook his head.

”No, its not,” he replied, “Putting my Ptsd aside – which by the way, isn't affecting my decision at all, I _don't_ want my father pumped full of drugs so he can't move or string a coherent sentence, and I _don't_ want him given electro shock therapy! I've been through that shit and it didn't help me! What he needs, is to get away from all the shit and the poison in this city, he needs to be with me, to know his son loves him and forgives everything!”

Julian fell silent. River had just turned her head, and so had Molly.

Oswald had just walked in. He looked tearful as he limped over to join them.

“Julian, I'm sorry.”

Their eyes met. Julian stepped closer and placed a hand on his cheek.

“Ozzie,” he said, containing his anger, “You're young and beautiful again and you'll probably not understand this because you have no concept of what you are inside... but underneath that great body and those eyes and that pretty face, despite all they years you've lived and all you've achieved, what's under the surface is pure evil! People say there's a bad side to you, and I don't know why it took me so long to realise – maybe I was too blinded by love. All know for sure is this: Until you hurt my father today, I didn't know how evil you could be. Now I do, I'm out. I'm gone. I'm taking Gertie, we'll share custody of Lucy. And if you try and stop me, I'll use all that power you laid at my feet when I became your husband and mayor of this city, and I'll fucking bury you with it! Now get out of my sight!”

He took his hand from his cheek as Ozzie blinked away tears.

“Julian please, I'm begging you!”

“No,” Julian said, shaking his head, “No, Oswald. It's over.”

“But I'm sorry, I'll make it up to you – I'll even make it up to Shepard if I have to!”

He forced a hopeful smile.

Julian glared at him.

“If you HAVE to? You've just dropped an emotional bomb on him and pushed him over the edge, Oswald! You're still talking like he doesn't matter - but he does, to ME!”

Oswald grabbed at his arm, looking at him in desperation.

“Think back to all you suffered in the asylum! Don't you find it ironic that the person who put you there is now being locked away in Arkham? _He deserves it!_ ”

Julian pushed his hand away, keeping his temper in check now.

“I will share custody of Lucy with Molly,” he stated, “Gertie is coming with me. I want a divorce.”

“Julian -” Molly said tearfully, but he shook his head.

“No, I'm not doing this right now. My priority is my Dad. And he's not going to fucking Arkham, I'm decided now, I'm taking care of him.”

“Julian, I really don't think you should do this,” River warned him.

“If you try and stop me, I will use the powers I still have as Oswald's spouse to get this place shut down, and then I will have him removed, River. _Don't_ make me use that.”

She gave a sigh and stepped aside.

“I won't stop you, but I'm advising against it.”

“I don't want any more advice, I've had enough of words from Cobblepots, “I've seen what they can do,” he replied, shooting Oswald an angry glance, and then he went back into Shepard's room and closed the door behind him.

There was nothing Molly could do. And Oswald, for all his power and authority, could not stop Julian from going home and picking up a bag for himself and Gertie, and then giving Oswald five minutes to say goodbye to her, before he put her in the car and drove back to the clinic to pick up his father.

Oswald was distraught. Molly was upset too, but still angry with Oswald.

Even now he was saying, why all this fuss over a man who put him through misery, the man who had worked with Bane in wartime?

“Your grudges are ripping this family apart,” Molly said as Oswald tried again to get through to Julian, and the phone remained switched off.

“He will come to his senses,” Oswald said, sounding very sure of it.

“You need to wake up to what you've done,” Molly said firmly as he sat there on the sofa, sending another message to Julian that went green instead of blue because he had turned his notifications off, “He's not walked out for a day, Ozzie. He's left for good!”

Oswald looked down at his phone, but no reply came back.

“He can't choose Shepard over us! After all he put him through?”

“I keep trying to tell you!” Molly sat down beside him, looking at him in frustration, “Oswald, Julian has _forgiven_ him! Shepard has changed and now he has a lot of guilt to live with, and Julian knows that, and he wants to see his father again! Get it through your head, this is about Julian, _only_ Julian and what he wants, leave the past out of it!”

Oswald looked at his phone again, then back to Molly as he blinked away tears.

“I didn't mean for it to go this way!”

“But you never should have done it!” she reminded him. Then she checked her watch.

“I have to do the school run, and then we have to explain to the kids that Julian has left with Gertie for a while, and that's all they need to know until we sort this out. But don't get your hopes up, I don't think he's coming back!”

She still felt shaken and tearful as she left the room knowing there was a high chance Julian would never return home after all that Oswald had done. As Molly left, Oswald sat there alone on the sofa, as his phone stayed silent and he quietly sobbed, regretting his choices as his heart ached for Julian.

Jax and Josh were standing together beside the river, looking out over water that was bright and caught the sun as it shone in a cloudless sky.

“Thinking about the past makes me put this in perspective,” Jax said as they stood there, “I've always thought, some things happen for a reason. Maybe this gift of yours was always there. Waiting to come into its own and flourish – Remember when you first met Oswald and he agreed to let you fight when he was up against Bane? I'll never forget you telling me how you opened that storage container and found Jervis Tetch. You did a deal with him that day, a deal to let him go if you got something in return. He hypnotised you to make you the kind of crack shot I took a _lot_ of firearms training to become! You were always destined for this path, Josh. To work for Oswald, to get a high ranking position – and here you are, where you should be, when this second sight ability comes to the fore. Do you realise what that gives you, the advantage you have that I don't?” he turned his head and looked as Josh as the breeze blew across the river, “Your gift can save lives. It also makes you the most valuable person Oswald employs and I'm happy for you, honestly, I'm not jealous. And I also want you to know that I believe everything you've seen is real - I know some of this has come to pass already - and I fully intend to avoid my own demise!”

“I want to avoid mine too!” Josh agreed, “But I don't know _how_ to avoid that scenario – I just see the same set of events, you go to the house, I follow, you're shot, I'm shot. I don't even know where we are at the time, it's dark and everything happens so fast.”

“It's some kind of major incident for me to mention the GCPD and the underworld,” Jax replied, “If it doesn't matter who gets there first, it's a unified effort to stop something, or someone.”

“And all we know for sure is, it hasn't happened yet.”

Josh fell silent as he looked to the water, thinking on a future that held a scary premonition of both their deaths as he wondered if there was a way to stop it. Some events were easy to change, like the bombs in the stores or seeing that flash of the near future as he had snatched the gun from Shepard and stopped him blowing his brains out at the enquiry. Everything he saw had a different time frame. There was always seconds to spare, sometimes, minutes, or even the space of weeks – but the shooting? It was too fast moving, too dark to look for clues, all he saw after they left the car was the flash of the shooter's gun...

“Maybe it won't happen for a few years,” Josh added hopefully.

Jax placed a hand on his shoulder. As he turned his head, he saw warmth in the eyes of his close friend.

“Just remember, so far that gift of yours has done a lot of good. First you stopped a huge explosion, and then you saved a man from suicide. You're doing great. And maybe seeing the future is a blessing and a curse, but it's one I would gladly take on if I could! Let's go back to the car, it's been a hell of a day.”

They turned away from the water and walked together from the river front, back towards the vehicle, as they said no more on the subject of Josh and his second sight and how he had saved Shepard that day. But Jax still kept it on his mind, all that Josh had seen that was yet to come to pass, knowing there was a terrible destiny awaiting both him and his colleague, and they had to find a way to change it...

“ _Wake up, Shep, it's okay, you're safe now...”_

Amy sounded tearful.

Shepard gave a tired sigh and then as he felt more awake, he recalled everything: _Oswald throwing that hurtful secret into this face at the enquiry, then him fearing he had lost his second chance with Julian – and he had pulled the gun. Josh and Jax had stopped him from shooting himself in the head, and he had been taken to Rivers clinic where he heard Julian yell he was not going to allow his dad to be taken to Arkham..._

“What have I done?” he whispered.

“Nothing,” Amy promised him, “Nothing, Shep,” she paused to kiss his cheek and then she carried on stroking his hair as he lay there in bed and looked up at her sat beside him. Thankfully, he wasn't in the asylum. He was at home, in his bedroom.

“How did I get back here?” he asked, “And why do I feel so exhausted?”

“River gave you some meds to knock you out, she said you were getting violent, you were saying you wanted to die... Julian wouldn't let her lock you up. He said he would use all his power as a Cobblepot to stop that happening... Shep, he's moving in for a while. Right now Herbert has both the kids over at the lab, he came home when I called him and told him what happened, he's moving his work to the lab near the house, and right now he has Lily and Thorne over there. He was concerned about the kids seeing you in a disturbed frame of mind. And he also said if Julian is going to stay, he needs to know about Thorne. We can't hide him all the time, and I know we can trust Julian.”

Shepard felt too weary to argue.

“He will have to keep the secret,” he said with a tired sigh, “Tell him I'm sorry for all this trouble.”

“Don't worry about anything,” Amy said as she kissed his cheek again, “I love you, and everything will be okay. You'll never know how deeply I love you, Shep.”

And as he slipped back into a deep sleep, Amy was still beside him, anxiously watching over him.

Julian had finished unpacking, and he had just left Gertie to sleep in Lilly's room until the spare bed was moved in so the two girls could share. He didn't know how long he would have to do this, moving his youngest daughter between homes so she could see the rest of the family at weekends – but he also knew he needed to see Lucy. He couldn't move her out, it wouldn't be fair. But Gertie was young enough to get used to change, and as she was his child by implant – he had _carried_ this child – there was no way he could leave her behind. He knew Oswald missed her already, and so did the rest of the family, but none of this was fair on anyone and it was not a situation he had asked for, or expected. His entire expectation of Oswald had come unravelled as he had witnessed him stand up and spill such hurtful accusations at Shepard. He had known what he was doing, the harm he would do with his words, but Ozzie had planned it out and done it deliberately after promising to support his choice to rebuild his relationship with his father. This was betrayal, and Julian felt it deeply. It had also drawn a line in the sand, as never before had he seen the darkest nature of Oswald.

And Julian had been thinking on all those things as he had quietly left Gertie to sleep, but then he had gone across the hall to check on his father and heard Amy talking softly to him. He had stood by the doorway out of sight, feeling shocked at all he had overheard:  
 _It was clear Amy adored him._

_Amy was having an affair with Shepard, her husband's twin brother?_

_He didn't know what to think about that – Amy was married to Herbert, they loved each other - and he was sure Shepard had not meant to come between them any more than Amy had intended to fall for him. And Shepard was partly paralysed, he was permanently affected by the repair to his broken neck._

_It couldn't be much of an affair._

_Stop it, Julian! He told himself, Love is so much more than just sex..._

As he thought on those things, he slowly shook his head.

Then it dawned on him that while he had been so shocked to learn they were in love, he had also noticed her mention Thorne.

_Thorne was real!_

That hit him hard.

“ _Oh Dad, I didn't believe you...”_ he whispered as he wished he could turn back time and be in that conversation again, to tell Shepard that yes, he did believe him... He should have believed him!

“I'm sorry,” he said under his breath, and then he blinked away tears, took a deep breath, gave his nerves a brief time to settle at least on the outside, and then he stood in the open doorway, as Amy drew her hand back from Shepard's hair and stopped stroking as he looked over at him.

“He's asleep again. He knows he's home. Thank you so much for stopping River putting him in the asylum. Julian, it would have killed him!”

“I know that,” he agreed as she got up and walked over to join him, “I know what I went though years ago, and my Dad isn't strong enough to go through anything close to it. And I won't let him suffer like that. He's going to be okay, he was afraid of losing me because of what Oswald said. The only person who has lost me, is Oswald. I kind of blame Molly too, she should have told me what he was planning. If she had, maybe I'd still be at the mansion and I wouldn't be planning a divorce. But it's happened and I've made my choice. My Dad comes first now.”

She nodded.

“I'm relieved you feel that way. I'm sorry about your marriage, but you're doing the right thing, Shep deserves your love. I know as well as you do that there was a time when he deserved nothing - but not now, he's changed and I'm so glad he has us.”

Julian felt a little awkward.

“I heard you. I know you're having an affair.”

He hadn't meant for it to slip out so bluntly.

Amy gasped as she looked at him.

“Oh shit, please don't tell Herbert! I love him too! And you know he can be crazy, right? He once killed a guy who tried to take his formula away, _imagine_ what he would do to his own brother if he thought he was stealing his wife!”

Julian took a slow breath, making a silent decision at this very moment, a decision that would stand no matter what else happened in their lives:  
 _It was none of his business._

_He would keep the fuck out of their affair..._

“I know love can be complicated, intricate, tangled,” he said quietly, glancing back through the doorway at his sleeping father, “And I also understand that if things had been different, maybe the three of you could have had an arrangement like I shared with Molly and Oswald. It would solve everything. But you are monogamous _and_ hating yourself for cheating, and Herbert would never consider anyone coming between you and him, and as for my Dad, he's just thankful that he has your love - even if he can't do much to show it in return in the way he wants. I love you all and wish you well and I can't involve myself in this affair. I just want no one else to get hurt like Oswald hurt me. I can't ever forgive it.”

She nodded slowly, saying nothing on all he had just said. Julian was devastated at Oswald's betrayal, and even if Oswald regretted that now, words could not mend a hurt this deep.

“Thorne's real.” she stated.

“I know,” he replied, “I heard that part too. Just tell me one thing – is he safe around Lily and Gertie?”

“We keep him away from other kids. He's bit his sister a few times. Not hard, playful bites, but he's too young to understand not to bite yet. We keep him mainly in his room or over at the lab, or I take him through the forest, he loves the lake, he's going to be a good kid. He just looks different, Julian. Please don't hate him.”

“I couldn't hate a baby,” he assured her, “I've been a father and a birth father, I love kids. He's different because of Herbert's Re Agent use?”

She nodded, then blinked away tears.

“Herbert injects to maintain his health, because he was reanimated many years back and he has to top it up. But he also injects to keep his mind sharp for work projects, _and_ he also injects to get high. So he uses _and_ abuses it. _And that's why our baby looks like a little zombie shot full of that neon green goo he invented_.”

“Can I see him?”

“A picture might be best, first,” Amy said as she drew her phone from her pocket. They left the bedroom, closing the door so Shepard could sleep on quietly. Amy handed him her phone.

“Thorne.”

Julian looked at the picture of the baby boy who stood grasping at the bars of his cot, his skin was pale and mottled with dark green veins, his eyes were a shade darker than Re Agent and his teeth were sharp, but the kid was smiling as his mother took the picture.

“You didn't need to warn me,” Julian said as he looked at her kindly, “He's beautiful, Amy.”

She took her phone back as they headed for the stairs.

“You don't have to be kind, just be honest. I know how others would see him.”

“I'm being honest!” Julian insisted, “Little Penguin is different. It doesn't stop him being a great kid. You should know by now I don't go by appearances, Amy. That little boy is beautiful, he's a child, and he's not to blame for what he looks like.”

“No, his father is,” Amy replied as hurt resonated in her voice, And I'm to blame too – Herbert didn't want kids. He never told me why. I got pregnant without his permission, I tricked him into it - and _then_ I found out why he didn't want kids. I'm to blame too.”

They had reached the doorway that led outside, and as they left the house, Julian glanced at her.

“Amy,” he said, “It's not our fault or his, no one intended for this to happen. All that matters is, Lily has a brother and you and Herbert have a son and he's an adorable little boy, he deserves all the love he's getting from his family. Never apologise for him.”

She smiled as she met his gaze.

“You're a very understanding guy. So different to the person I remember at Shep's dinner party so long ago.”

“It took years,”Julian told her, “But I hope I am a better person than I was back then.”

“We've all changed,” Amy replied, “For the better too, I hope! I'll take you to the lab to meet Thorne, then I'm going back upstairs to sit with Shep until he wakes.”

Then they walked down the path together towards the building at the back of the estate, where Herbert worked from home in his private laboratory.

Thorne snarled and hissed. He looked up at the stranger in Daddy's lab as his little hands cured about the tall bars of his cot.

“Da Da!” he demanded in his deep, almost demonic voice.

Julian couldn't help but smile as he looked down at the kid who, if he was honest about it, did look like a half zombie. Thorne was looking up at him as if to say:

 _Who the fuck are you?_ And then he said _Da Da!_ Urgently, as if to warn Herbert a stranger had entered the room.

“This is Uncle Julian,” Herbert told him, “He's come to stay with us, with Gertie - but you won't be meeting her yet, I don't think I can trust you with a child of your own age... too small!”

Julian looked at the sight of those sharp teeth as Thorne started to smile at him and reached out a hand through the bars.

Herbert shot him a warning glance.

“I wouldn't,” he advised, “It's one of his tricks – reach out, grab and bite.”

“I'll be sure to remember that tip.” Julian replied, looking down at the zombie kid who had now started to smile up at him.

“You can be as cute as you like, you're _not_ biting my fingers!” Julian told him, and Thorne's face creased into a scowl as he gave a snarl of frustration.

“Wow, he actually understood that!”

“Yes, Julian,” Herbert agreed, “He's very young, but he's got intelligence far beyond his years.”

“And he drinks blood?” Julian guessed, seeing the bottle discarded in the cot.

“Yes, and he eats raw meat – a similar diet to Lily, except that Lily is phasing out most of the blood, her diet is becoming more of what would be considered normal. Thorne can never do that.”

“But Lily copes just fine.”

“And her circumstances are different,” Herbert reminded him.

Lily was sitting on a chair by a work bench and she spun around on it and gigged as Herbert reminded her not to break Daddy's chair, please, as she laughed again.

“Thorne is a naughty boy, he bites me!” Lily said, “But I do love him.”

And the her pale hand reached out for a glass of milk on the bench, a stark reminder that her diet was becoming very different to her brother's. But Thorne was sitting down in his cot now, playing with his toys.

“He plays like Gertie, like any other kid of his age,” Julian said.

That remark brought a park of warmth to Herbert's eyes.

”Yes!” he agreed, “Its just the biting phase. We have to get him out of that.”

“You will,” Julian assured him, “All kids have their own challenges as they grow – his are just a little different, but he will get there.”

“Yes, he will, we are determined to help him with that.”

Julian said nothing in reply as he looked down at Thorne, now understanding why the Wests had opted to hide him from the word – maybe, in time, he could persuade them to do otherwise but for now, it did seem like the right thing to do...

“By the way,” Herbert said with a smile as Julian glanced at him, “Welcome to the family, Julian.”

Herbert held out his hand as Julian shook it.

“Thanks, Herbert,” he replied, feeling glad to be welcomed here, and trusted with the secret about Thorne. As for the other secret he knew, _that_ would have to sleep at the back of his mind, because his knowledge of the affair was none of his business, and it was going to stay that way...This wasn't how Julian had expected his life to turn out, but after all that Oswald had done, he accepted this was all he could do, to walk away and start again. And he was fond of his Dad's family already, even if they were a little bit different...


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It was growing late. The kids were in bed. Luna was staying over with Fish. Molly had called Cain to reassure him all was okay – saying only that Julian was upset and they didn't know _exactly_ when he was coming home, but he and Gertie were okay. That was the same thing she had told the kids, who thankfully, had been at school while the enquiry was being aired. Now Oswald stood on the back porch looking out at the rolling gardens, watching dusk settle as he finished a cigarette and then made his way over to the patio, where he sat down and reached for a generous measure of scotch over ice.

Molly joined him, sitting down and flipping her hair off her shoulder as she said nothing, looking at her Ozzie, the man she had fought to save from Valeska all those years before, the father of her children, the man who had opened his heart to their third partner and then lied about approving of his new bond with Shepard, before behaving despicably at the public enquiry, wrecking their three way marriage...

”Please,” Oswald said as he set the glass down “Not again, Molly! I shall get used to Gertie visiting at weekends and Julian coming over to see Lucy, there will be no quarrel over the children. They don't need to suffer for this. I understand what I've done.”

“Then why don't you sound _sorry_ about it?” Molly fumed.

Oswald looked at her, young again, handsome - and quite resigned to the price of his victory.

“Molly, four hundred of my men were burned to death in Bane's fire trap – Bane, associate of Shepard, in a wartime plot to take over this city! _Never_ say I have no justification!”

“How many times do I have to remind you it was Bane, _NOT_ Shepard who set that trap? Shepard was about to talk about the arsonist, the planner behind the trap, when you stood up and threw all that shit from the past at him! What now? He's too weak to attend any more meetings. You all but destroyed his sanity, Oswald!”

“I'm sure he will be able to talk another time, maybe by video link.”

Molly laughed at the thought as she shook her head.

Oswald shot her a look of anger.

”What's so funny?”

“You really think he will _ever_ co operate with you again, after this? You may be the king of Gotham but Julian is now a Cobblepot too. He has enough power to shield his Dad from you. And I think that's what he will do.”

“And maybe you can persuade him to do otherwise?” Oswald gave her a hopeful smile.

She glared back at him.

“No, you're on your own with this mess, _you_ clean it up!” she said angrily, and she got up and went back into the house as Oswald looked thoughtfully at his glass of scotch, swirled the liquid over the ice and took another sip, still convinced he was right, even though he missed Julian – he had his revenge. He would have to live with the rest...

At the West family home, Julian was reading a bed time story to Gertie who was now settling down in the spare bed close to Lilly's bed, and Lily was listening as he read to his daughter, and as she smiled and then yawned, Julian got her comfortable in her new bed as he silently ached for home and Oswald and Molly and the rest of the family. But he only had to think about what Oswald had done to remember there was no going back. Gertie was sleepy and her eyes were closing as he said goodnight, then Lily turned out her night light and by the time he had softly closed the door behind him, Gertie was sleeping soundly with her new room mate a short distance away. The girls got along so well. He wished Gertie could meet Thorne, but he knew that little boy wasn't ready to play with other kids, not while he was still biting.

Julian went quietly up the hall, heard a sigh come from Shepard's room and it sounded like Amy. They were taking a risk, fooling around while Herbert was working late... He went on to his room and went inside and closed the door, staying true to his choice to keep the hell out of their private lives.

_Josh was sleeping deeply._

He had gone home to dinner with the family, then relaxed with the kids before they went off the bed and then silence had fallen on the house as the clear night sky saw stars come out one by one and twinkle brightly. The memory of last night made him smile as he began to wake to the early morning sun:

_The three of them down in the wild corner of the garden where trees and vines obscured the view. Ivy was naked and threw her head back, giving a sigh as her vines caressed her body. Those same vines were the ones that kept him still while he was tied down by them as Ivy sat on his face. Selina had dominated him hard, fucking him in the ass as he dare not cry out, because that would have reached the ears of curious neighbours, who might have called the cops, and the thought of the GCPD turning up and shining their torches on the three of them and their night time antics made Selina giggle, but not Josh. He had to be quiet, because the last thing he wanted was Oswald's General found being ass fucked by his own wife while their lover sat on his face and the GCPD watched... That would take some explaining to Oswald! He had kept quiet. He had loved every moment of those plants slithering over his flesh, and the scent of Ivy was all sex and nature and the sweetest of blooms rolled into one as Selina finally made him come hard with a gasp that saw a light come on in another house a few gardens away. It had been erotic, it had been raw and sexual and it had been close. It had been all the things that bound them together and it had been fun..._

He was still thinking about that as he woke from sleep.

Then something else invaded his mind:

_The bomber was drawing a map. This time, not for explosives. He saw a hand glide the red pen over a map... a building, a single building, but it was up close and all he could make out was doorways, floor plans..._

_What was he looking at?_

_Next came the red crosses. Then the map was snatched from a table and handed to a man who was armed with a gun, and two more men stood beside him._

“ _This is the layout of the house,” he said, “We strike soon. Right now, the target is no threat - but we can't wait for too long. And I want the bomb at Wayne Enterprises to go off first. Oswald needs to know he never should have formed an alliance with the GCPD or Wayne Enterprises. There never should have been a unity pact! Let's say, tomorrow at noon. Tenth floor, two explosions, let's wreck that building. Oswald needs to understand he can't go around demanding names when actions in war are exempt from prosecution. Let's take out more of his people. And remember to rig the sprinklers, too.”_

Josh sat up and gave a gasp.

“ _It's happening again! I heard his voice!”_

He climbed over Selina and got out of bed as she woke up in confusion and Ivy did the same. Blinking away sleep, the two women saw Josh skip the usual shower and shave routine and grab his suit and start to get dressed.

“There's no time!”

“What? Ivy pushed her hair out of her eyes as Selina stared at him.

“Josh, what is going on?”

He buttoned his shirt as he glanced at her.

“It happened again, I saw the bomber – he's going to hit Wayne enterprises. Something about bombs on the tenth floor and tampering with the sprinkler system... a punishment to Oswald, for alliances connected with the pact, this guy is anti unity pact!” he finished dressing quickly and grabbed his tie and turned to the mirror as he looked back at them in the glass reflected, “It figures he would be against it – Bane went to war twice to take over this city and he wanted chaos, the pact represents its opposite. This guy is an expert at creating death traps...” He turned from the mirror with wide eyes, hit by a realisation that had nothing to do with his psychic ability as the pieces fell into place:  
“It was him! The guy who did the fire trap at the monolith, he's the same guy who rigged the asylum for Halloween! He's not just an explosives expert, he's a trap designer... I need to call Oswald!”

“Call Wayne Enterprises first,” Selina told him.

Josh shook his head as he grabbed his phone.

“No, I'll call Oswald, our people can alert the GCPD, they can inform Bruce Wayne and then they can shut down the Wayne Enterprises building to sweep it. There's no time scale on this, I didn't see a clock. He said, tomorrow – but I don't know _when_ he said that!”

Josh called Oswald's number and began to relate all he knew as Ivy and Selina looked on in alarm.

“This is not how I expected to spend eight am,” said Jax as he stood there, stocky and broad in his dark suit as he shielded his eyes from the sun and looked up at the building as choppers circled over head. The cops had sectioned off the area, Bruce Wayne had ordered the building evacuated and sealed off until explosive experts had swept it and the sprinkler system had been checked. Right now, he was with Oswald and Jim as the two sides united to examine a map of the vast building and Jim coordinated the sweep from police HQ, while he watched monitors linked to every level and the careful search of the building took place.

Josh was beside him as Jax looked up at the building, feeling slightly freaked out to think his premonition could carry so much weight an entire building had been closed and now placed in a state of incident so serious the GCPD and the underworld were working together to resolve the matter. His phone rang and Josh walked down the steps away from the building, towards a police cordon as he answered it, and the caller spoke immediately.

“This is Jim Gordon. Oswald's explained to me about your gift, Josh. And in light of its accuracy I want you to know we've found the devices, set to go off at mid day, and they've been disarmed,” he said.

Josh breathed a relieved sigh.

“I'm glad it's over.”

What Jim said next shot ice through his blood

“We checked the sprinkler system. It had been tampered with. When the smoke from the blast triggered the sprinkler system, it would have set off the sprinklers through out the building. _Water had been replaced with sulphuric acid._ ”

Josh felt mildly dizzy for a moment.

“I think the guy who did this is the same one who rigged the asylum with elaborate traps, sir.”

“Oswald is inclined to agree,” Jim said, “But the problem we have is this – anyone who opposes the pact would have done so openly post war, and a lot of people were against the pact in the beginning. We don't know who this guy is, and he's out there somewhere, in plain sight. Can you tell me anything about him at all?”

Josh thought back.

“He has a well spoken voice, kind of creepy, too.. his hands are clean, nails manicured, I mean, neat and well presented. He said something about taking out the person who can name him, but he said he didn't consider him an immediate threat. His priority was the bomb here at Wayne Enterprises.”

“We thought about Shepard, that he could be the threat he's referring to, but he's too sick to talk about anything regarding the enquiry,” Jim replied, “And the fact that he tried to kill himself when Oswald said all that unrelated stuff to him on air seems to suggest Shepard doesn't know much at all about the trap. Someone needs to speak to him and do it carefully, in case he's a possible target. But Bane had other associates. We're liaising with cops across the border to try and bring them in for questioning. Someone out there is in danger and we cant be sure who it is yet, and this guy needs to be caught. Is there anything else you noticed in your vision, think hard!”

“I don't know, I don't think so, I was waking up and it all came to me” Josh told him, “I've told you everything I recall. I wish I could do more.”

Jim's voice softened as he gave his reply.

“You've done more than enough,” he assured him, “The bombs are disarmed and the acid is being handled as we speak. You acted in time, and we're grateful. But please, if you find out anything else, no matter how small -”

“I'll be sure to contact Oswald,” Josh promised him, then Jim thanked him and ended the call. Josh went back up the steps to join Jax, where the two men stood together outside the closed building as more cops and underworld staff went in, ready to help to make the building safe once more, as Josh looked on, feeling as if what he had done wasn't enough. The man responsible for this was still out there and he didn't even know what he looked like...

Selina had spoken to Amy on the phone.

It should have been Oswald, but he didn't want to contact the house, not after learning that Julian was staying there with his father. And this time, it was about the enquiry, specifically, the questions he _should_ have been asking Shepard publicly, on the day when he had put personal revenge first and wrecked everything. Oswald was still focusing on the enquiry, and he had asked Selina to speak to Amy, in the hope that she could get the truth out of Shepard. It was a tough thing to do after all the upset he had caused – Molly could have done this, she could have phoned for him, but Molly had said, _Like fuck I will, Ozzie! You did this, you live with it, sort your own problems out!_

And so Oswald had called Selina, who had called Amy, explaining the situation. Oswald needed a name – if Shepard knew that name, he needed to give it, not for a favour, not for him, not for the underworld – but for himself. Because if he knew the identity of the man behind the fire trap, he needed to speak out or he could find himself being the next target, to ensure silence. Oswald had explained that they had intelligence to suggest that maybe, the bomber was targeting him next, because he knew his identity. He didn't say where this information came from, and emphasised that right now, with Shepard so unwell after his breakdown, it was unlikely the perpetrator would consider him a current risk, but it was important for Shepard to speak out if he had any information, and he was happy for that information to be passed along by family, so that he could name the guilty party publicly at the enquiry. The plan was to identify the suspect, and then link him to the attempted bombings and the death traps at the asylum – acts committed in a declaration of war could not be considered crimes, but everything else could and this bastard could still face justice, which Oswald emphasised would be underworld style, not judicial.

Selina had explained all of this carefully.

Amy had thanked her for the call and then put the phone down, and then she had told Herbert and Julian all about it. Julian wanted nothing to do with any kind of favour for Oswald - but he was worried that if the bomber targeted his father, he would be in danger and so would the rest of the family. Herbert was inclined to agree. And they also decided to do nothing that day, they would wait a short while, until they were certain that Shepard was emotionally stronger.

_The enquiry went on, day after day._

Now the focus has switched away from the Monolith fire trap as Jim and Oswald had agreed the witness was too ill to continue, and that matter had to be considered _closed pending further developments, as yet unseen_ – in Gotham law, this suggested the Monolith may be brought back into the enquiry later, or perhaps in light of Shepard's breakdown, never. It was hoped this suggestion would calm the maniac who planned to silence him forever.

_The plan seemed to work._

Weeks later, the bomb at Cobblepot Industries was found on the day of the Investor's meeting and deactivated safely, thanks to the prediction made by Josh weeks before. Josh was relieved another of the bomber's plans had ailed thanks to his _advanced warning system_ , that was how he had come to think of his gift.

By now, the enquiry was focusing on individual statements from those who had fought against Bane. It was long and detailed, and then they moved on to how Bane had amassed an army a second time. It was starting to feel more like a history lesson from another page of the complicated past of Gotham City. But that was the plan, to keep going until they could switch back to the monolith subject once more...

_It was the end of July._

Luna was celebrating her fifteenth birthday. Last night she had gone out to dinner with Cain and Ronnie, as Cain had been mildly embarrassing, flirting with the waitress as he talked too loudly and winked at her, and Ronnie gave a heavy sigh. Since Lucy had healed him, his personality had changed and wasn't likely to change back to how it used to be any time soon. The previous weekend, Fish had allowed Luna to have some friends over at the club for a private party which she had carefully supervised. But now, on her birthday, Luna had wanted what all the Cobblepot kids had on their birthday – she wanted a party not just for her, but for the kids, a family occasion, a fun time that reminded her of all the other parties she had enjoyed as a small child. It was really for the younger kids, she said, but she got to have cake yet again.

Herbert turned up with Lily and Gertie, he was polite and apologetic as he explained that Julian felt it best to keep away at this time, as he wanted the kids to have fun without an awkward silence between him and Oswald. By now, Julian had started divorce proceedings. On Molly's advice, Oswald had not resisted this, allowing Julian full control of the situation. By now it was starting to dawn on him that his marriage was fucked, and he had tearfully agreed to do anything to please Julian, to make up for what he had done – even if that meant graciously doing nothing as Julian set about plans to end their three way marriage.

“Julian said Gertie can stay overnight, to spend time with Lucy and the other kids,” Herbert told him, “And I will be back to fetch her in the morning after ten am. I really would prefer to spend my time working, but I fully understand how difficult this must be and I do want to help.”

As he said that, the kids were in the garden, some were dancing to music, others were enjoying the long table set out with buffet food. Luna was in the corner of the garden, beneath the shade of a tree, talking to two of her school friends, as she watched the younger kids have fun.

Oswald stood there looking young and handsome and well groomed in a dark blue suit as his hair stood up in spikes, he was making the most of this occasion, smiling as usual, being happy for the kids. Inside, he wanted to cry because he missed Julian. He couldn't imagine a life without him. Molly had no sympathy. And she was right, too. This was entirely his fault...

“Thank you,” he said warmly to Herbert, “What matters is, the kids have fun. I've got Jax and Josh here today, they're helping out – it's just like every other family party, except Cain does his own thing these days and we don't often see him – unless it's an underworld meeting – and of course, Julian is absent.”

“I'm sure, eventually, he will come over for family occasions,” Herbert replied, “It's just that he finds it difficult at this time.”

As they stood there in the sunlit garden, kids were laughing as Little Penguin climbed on to the buffet table, stepping over plates as he waddled towards the cake.

“All for Penguin!” he yelled as he waved his flippers in the air.

Oswald's mind was still on Julian.

“I want Julian to know I regret my actions, towards him and his father. How is Shepard? I didn't mean to push for answers when I asked Selina to call Amy, it's the safety issue, and the fact that we need to identify the bomber. If Shepard knows anything -”

Herbert briefly held up his hand, as Oswald fell silent. It was rare for him to shut up for anyone but right now, Julian held all the cards. He couldn't piss off the West family. Oswald graciously let Herbert speak without interruption.

“Oswald, I mean no disrespect to you, but Julian doesn't want me to discuss family matters or anything to do with the enquiry. He specifically told me that before I left. When we feel my brother is ready to answer questions, we will talk to him and pass on the information. But not today. He's not well enough.”

“Then perhaps you could pass on my sincere apology for the harm I caused?” Oswald said hopefully, “Herbert,” he limped closer, meeting his gaze as desperation shone in his eyes as he kept his voice low so the kids nearby heard nothing, “I am _desperate_ to speak to Julian! He needs to know I'm sorry! I _LOVE_ him! I just want him to hear me out, please can you arrange for me to speak with him – and Shepard, too! I can give Julian's father anything he wants. Maybe a share in Cobblepot Industries... Or I could manipulate a media campaign to make Shepard look like a victim instead of a conspirator in the war with Bane! I would cover up everything if it met with Julian's approval!”

As they stood there, Herbert shook his head. Behind them across the lawn, Little Penguin waddled along the table and tripped on a platter of sandwiches and landed face first in the birthday cake. As he sat up and the other kids laughed, Luna came over, and she was laughing too as she wiped cake from his face and then got out her phone as she said this would make a great birthday pic for her Instagram.

“I can't discuss terms,” Herbert told him, “But in time, maybe Julian will be willing to talk to you – I can't predict when. I'm sorry, Oswald. I can't get involved.”

Oswald slowly nodded.

“Of course, I understand. I'd better go and spend time with Gertie, its so good to have her home, even for a short while,” he replied, and then he turned away and headed back towards the party.

Herbert watched him leave as he recalled all those generous offers Oswald had made to his brother, although it was an incentive to win back Julian, it certainly did seem that Oswald, in his desperation, was genuinely sorry for what he had done to Shepard, and maybe, that was a start of the situation improving. He didn't know for sure. He would have to talk to Julian about that later... He took his car keys from his pocket and headed back down the path that led to the driveway, keen to get in his car and go home, where he could discuss all of this with Julian and then, hopefully, get back to his lab where he could get some work done at last.

Back at the West house, Julian was busy in the nursery, keeping an eye on Thorne. By now the little half zombie kid had got to know him and no longer snarled. He had also stopped that trick to try and lure his fingers through the bars as he sat in his cot, reaching for a bottle of chilled blood as he smiled up at him, pointed teeth glittering sharp. Julian planned to spend the next hour here with Thorne, because he knew Amy had gone into Shepard's room – and that was something he wanted to know _nothing_ about...

Behind the locked door of his bedroom, Shepard was on the bed, his shirt was off and Amy had climbed on top as he slid his fingers in and out of her wetness as she gave a sigh.

“More!” she gasped.

He tried, and she gave another sigh.

“You're just not good at G spot stimulation. Herbert hits the spot every time!”

“I'm sorry,” Shepard said, and she climbed off and lay beside him, brushing a fingertip over nipples that had become highly sensitive after hours of teasing and toying that had produced sensations that Shepard thought were incredible. It did't make up for the fact that he couldn't make love to her, but it was satisfaction, in absence of the kind that he could no longer manage.

“It doesn't matter,” she said, and placed a kiss on his chest and then looked into his eyes, “Its weird, Herbert can fuck me and make me come so hard I squirt – but I still need this, with you, I need you in my heart, Shep. The sex doesn't matter when it comes to you, it's just being with you... I know it doesn't make sense.”

“I didn't choose to fall in love with my brother's wife,” he said quietly as he ran his fingers through her hair and felt the weight of guilt and regret, “I've tried so hard to change, to admit my faults and mistakes and bad decisions. And here I am with you, like this.”

“We don't choose who we fall in love with,” she said as their eyes met, “and as crazy as it sounds, I love Herbert as much as ever – but I love you both! You're so different to each other, but my heart is split down the middle when it comes to it, I love you both equally.”

Shepard felt a flicker of worry as he thought about Herbert.

“You know my brother has committed murder?”

“In the past, when another doctor tried to steal his Re Agent and claim it as his own invention! That was Herbert defending his work.”

“And he might feel murderous again, if he found out about us.”  
Amy frowned.

“I do know that, Shep. But I can't change how I feel and neither can you. We've tried staying away from each other, it doesn't work! Its not even about sex. I thought affairs were meant to be about lust, not this, not love, not the kind that gets right inside your heart and takes over! What a mess!” she turned on her back, still beside him as she looked up at the ceiling, “And I think about the kids too, I worry that if we got caught Herbert would kill me or kill you – at the very least, I think he would throw us both out and take the kids from me.”

“I don't think he will ever find out. And if he did, be assured I will take the full blame,” Shepard promised her, “We're human, we're weak... we're foolish and we know it - but none of this is done in malice. It just happened!”

“And we have to live with that blame,”Amy concluded.

Then she fell silent, thinking on all that she had long held back from Shepard.

“You know Oswald called and said you didn't have to attend the enquiry?”

“What about it?”

She hesitated, running her hand lovingly over his chest as she recalled the many hours she had spent kissing him there, providing stimulation to make up for the damage that could never be put right after Herbert had restored his life and repaired his snapped neck, “Selina phoned. She gave me a message for you. Oswald wants to know everything you know about the guy who set the fire trap. He's had intelligence suggest that if you can name him, the guy might come after you – and us. He's steered the enquiry away from the subject of the monolith, saying this may or may not be raised at a later time, because the only witness is too ill to participate. He's done that to fool the guy into thinking you won't get around to naming him. But there's a risk that he might still try and silence you.”

“Oswald has a valid point but I think he's covered it by writing me off as crazy,” he replied, “And as much as I detest Oswald for what he did to me, I get why it happened. I sided with Bane. Bane killed hundreds of his men. And this is separate to the other issue – the years of hell I put Julian through. I fully understand why Oswald Cobblepot hates me and wanted to see me fall apart at the enquiry. I deserved that. But, in the interests of our safety and the safety of those beyond these walls, I can only share what I know.”

As she looked into his eyes, Shepard drew in a breath, ready to talk, to give all he had to help the situation.

“I know very little about the man who set the trap,” he said, and as he sat up, she did too, putting an arm around him to briefly help him as he shifted position, pausing to glance down at his lower body as he silently cursed the wreck of a body he was forced to inhabit since Bane had broken his neck.

“Bane had conversations with others, I overheard little and kept my interest only on the virus project. But he did say the monolith would be rigged as a trap by an expert, a man who had worked with enemies in the first war, to maximise the explosion at the Haven building.”

Amy's eyes went wide.

“I thought Ed Nygma fired that building, he had no control over it, he had a chip in his head -”

“He was used as the puppet to fire the shot,” Shepard told her, “But the building had been primed to become a fire trap prior to this. Just as the walls of the monolith building were soaked in chemicals that would go up as shots were fired into the place by Bane's men. I only heard a name once, he referred to the man who set the monolith trap as the mastermind behind the tragedy at haven, the fire starter, he called him Mr Pipe.”

Amy's face paled.

“We need to tell Oswald.”

“Give me the phone, I'll call him myself,” Shepard replied.

What followed was a conversation Amy would never forget. Shepard sat there on the bed, still with his shirt off, still perspiring from their closeness and affection, but now his mind was made up to say all he had not had a chance to say at the enquiry.

“Oswald,” he said as he answered the call, “I understand you wanted to know more about the man who made the fire trap. He's the same one who primed the Haven building in the first war. I heard Bane say that. He referred to him as Mr Pipe. And that is all I know but if you can use it, take it – for the protection of my family, our own and every family in this city. I can't give more. I have nothing more to give.”

There was a shocked silence on the end of the phone.

“Did Herbert speak to you today?” Oswald finally said in a hushed voice.

“He's not back from the party yet. Amy told me you requested information, that I needed to give information for the enquiry. Understand I won't attend any more sessions. But you now have all that I know. I would have handed this information over sooner, but we all know how badly it ended on the day you threw all the stuff about my past at me – and I'm not making this personal. You wanted a name, you have one. I don't know anything else.”

“Thank you so much, Shepard!” Oswald sounded as stunned as he felt, “This information is valuable, I can't thank you enough... especially after the way I behaved... I'd like to take this opportunity to apologise. I know Julian doesn't want to come back, I accept that is my fault entirely. And I am sorry for what I did, Shepard. And thank you for this information. I'll pass that on to the GCPD and my own people will also be working on this lead. I'll have one of my men come over to your place and install a panic button, to ensure there's no safety issues until he's caught. The cops will work with us to patrol outside your house, too. Be assured the safety of you and your family will be guarded at this time.”

“Thank you,” Shepard replied, and then he ended the call.

Just then, Herbert entered the room. Amy looked a little startled, shifting back from Shepard as she sat on the edge of the bed and Shepard sat there on his bed, dressed but with his shirt off as he lowered the phone.

“Herbert,” Amy said, “Shepard just called Oswald. He had information on the guy who made the fire trap.”

“You didn't give it to him?” Herbert exclaimed.

“What else could I do?” Shepard said angrily, “Our lives could be at stake, the city could be at risk!”

“And Oswald was about to offer you shares in Cobblepot industries, just to get Julian to talk to him again, he was desperate to find out what you knew, and to try and use you to persuade Julian to call off the divorce!”

“Money doesn't matter at a time like this,” Shepard replied, “Get it through your head that we could all be in danger – now they have his name, they just have to hunt him down. And we have to be guarded until he's caught.”

Herbert's eyes registered annoyance.

“How inconvenient, now we have to hide Thorne, and I bet this will disrupt my working schedule too!”

“It's not forever,” Amy said as she got up and walked over to him, “It's just until they catch him. Then we can get on with our lives.”

Herbert was far from happy about it as he thought on the deal Oswald had offered Shepard, a deal that could have seen them all wealthier.

“He was about to offer you millions - maybe more - to try and persuade Julian to go home. You just blew a very lucrative opportunity!”

Shepard shrugged it off.

“His marriage to Julian is none of my business. But the monolith fire trap is! I did what I had to do today, Herbert. There was no choice in the matter.”

Julian had heard the conversation as he walked in to join them.

“What's Oswald done now?” he asked.

“Oswald has done nothing,”Shepard told him, “I found out he needed specific information, and I gave it to him. It was the least I could do.”

“After what he did to you at the enquiry?” Julian exclaimed, “Why would you help him?”

“Because he needs to catch the man behind the fire trap,” Shepard replied, “I had to do it for our family, and for the good of this city, Julian. It was the only thing I could do under the circumstances.”

Julian looked back at his father, saying nothing as the news sunk in:

_Shepard had just done Oswald a favour, after all he had done to him?_

_He was working with Oswald to catch the killer?_

Suddenly Julian wasn't sure if he wanted a divorce any more, not if Shepard could move on from the hurt that had been caused - but for now he said nothing on the subject, as Herbert related all he had missed, and Julian listened...


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The kid's party was going well. Now the kids were all sat down on the lawn as they waited for the entertainer to put on his show. Molly had got the guy from someone Iris had recommended from another friend, who had a son at the same school as Little Penguin – she had said he was great with the kids, he did magic tricks and made balloon animals. Molly stood in the shade of a tree near the makeshift stage as she waited for him to make his entrance. The guy was tall and thin and rat faced and had spent a long while rooting about in the back of his blue transit van as he readied himself to set up for the show. He wore a suit like an old fashioned magician that brought to mind music halls, and he had a creepy smile. She had seen his gaze shift from her face to her tits and back again and then she had wandered off and asked Josh and Jax if their guns were loaded. She had explained, laughing it off, that he seemed a bit lecherous. Inside, she was more than pissed at the guy – she was Oswald's wife, and he had dared to look at her chest in a tight vest? So much for respecting her as a woman, let alone respecting the Cobblepot name...

“I don't like him, Ozzie...” she murmured as her husband joined her and they watched as he announced, _Good Afternoon, kiddies!_ And then he began a magic act that saw him float a wand, then cards in the air, before performing a trick that saw an amazed Little Penguin make a rabbit appear from the magician's hat. He played a guessing game with the kids, predicting their names. Then he made feather flowers appear from thin air and gave them to Luna, who handed them on to Lucy, who used them to poke Felix in the ear. Alicia and Maria were sitting with Nathan, and they liked the trick he performed with giant bubbles that floated across the gardens from the end of his magic wand.

“I've made bigger bubbles farting in the bath!” said Penguin Cobblepot as he walked the length of the buffet, eating as he walked as Iris told him to be quiet, because the guy was still performing his act.

When the magic act was over, he said to the children to wait, because he was off to fetch his friend, Mr Funtime.

The entertainer was gone a while, as Molly watched him get into the back of his van. Lucy got up and left the kids on the lawn and came over.

“I don't like him Mommy,” she said, “He's weird.”

“It's just an act, Lucy. He's pretending to do magic.”

“I can do real magic!” Lucy reminded her with a smile, “And don't worry, Mommy. _It's only a coat_.”

Lucy gave her a hug and then ran off to join the others as Molly looked at Oswald in confusion.

“Only a coat? I don't know what she means...”

Oswald shook his head. Lucy, with her great abilities, often said things that made sense later on, she always seemed to know what lie ahead, one way or another.

_And they didn't have to wait long to find out what she meant._

_As soon as he bounded back on to the stage, they realised._

“Hello Children!” he announced, now in a new costume and a new guise as Mr Funtime... with his painted face and green hair and purple jacket.

 _It had to be a feckin' clown,_ was Molly's first thought.

Then she saw the jacket. His painted smile brought everything rushing back to her, a reminder of Valeska.

_Jeremiah Valeska capturing Ozzie._

_Almost beating him to death._

_It was that jacket that brought it back to her, it was just like the one Valeska used to have..._

“I can't breathe!” Molly gasped, leaning against the bark of the tree as she looked to Oswald with tears in her eyes as she grabbed at his suit, her green gaze wide, _“Valeska...”_

“Molly!” Oswald said quietly, turning her away from the kids as they laughed at the clown's antics with balloons, watching as he pretended to struggle to shape and twist them to make a giraffe, “It's okay, he's not Valeska! It's Luna's fifteenth birthday, you're looking at the kid's entertainer! Take a breath!”

She breathed in, then out as she felt mildly dizzy and her heart raced. Her hands were shaking. Oswald looked to Jax and snapped his fingers, indicating to his table on the patio and the whiskey that sat there. Next thing Molly knew, she was standing up against the tree as Oswald took the scotch from Jax and handed it to her. She drank it slowly, still shaking, and as it killed the edge to her shattered nerves and the flashback ended, she saw that bloke in the clown suit with the coat like Valeska, and remembered Valeska was dead. _Fucking Ptsd almost fucked up the party..._

“I feel so stupid!” she said, managing a smile as she finished the scotch.

Oswald took the glass from her and gave it to Jax, instructing him to bring the bottle over, and a picnic blanket. They ended up sitting under that tree drinking together as she tried to kill off the worst of her nervousness. It had been many years since the sight of a clown had triggered an anxiety attack.

“It was that feckin' jacket of his!” Molly said as they sat together while across the lawn, the entertainer carried on with his show as the kids clapped as he crafted a more intricate balloon animal, “I cant believe this, first I find out he's a _tit starer_ , next thing, I see his clown act and think he's Valeska!”

“He's not Velaska, my dear.”

Oswald had said that so kindly.

Molly looked at him, her gaze full of apology.

“Thank fuck the kids didn't see me like that!”

“We've been through a lot over the years, you and I, “ Oswald replied, patting her thigh through the fabric of her jeans as the sat side by side on the blanket, “And after what happened on Halloween, when Izak grabbed me, it's no wonder those memories would be triggered at the sight of a clown face and a purple coat. Let's just remember, we have been through many storms in life, and here we are, together and unharmed.”

“ _Without Julian.”_

Molly wasn't sure if it was the booze that had made her emotions spill, or the after shock of the panic attack, or maybe both.

“ _I miss him!”_ she said as she blinked back tears, then she grabbed the bottle and filled her glass again.

“I miss him too and this is my fault. I want to talk to him, Molly! I don't want him to end our relationship. We both need him, the kids need him too.”

“But it's about what Julian needs,” she reminded him, fighting off the urge to cry for the sake of the kids enjoying the party, “As much as we love him, it's up to him. We can't force him to come back.”

“I know that,” he agreed sadly as she rested her head on his shoulder and they watched the kids laughing as the clown made more shapes with the balloons.

When the show was over, Molly didn't fancy the idea of going up to _Mr rat faced creepy tit starer,_ as she had come to think of him, to pay him for his time. So she gave the money to Josh and sent him over instead. The guy was still in his clown costume but had wiped off the face paint, and now the kids were back to enjoying the food and the music, he had just finished packing his stuff into the back of his van.

“Here's your money,” said Josh.

“Cash will be fine, I also take cards and checks payable to Evan Smith, that's my name,” he said with a smile.

Josh forced a smile, thinking, this guy did look something like a rat, and he wondered if Molly or Oswald had noticed that.

“Cash payment,” he replied, and handed him the money.

The man in the clown suit put the cash in his pocket, and then turned back to the open van as he packed away the last of his stuff.

“It's something to brag about, that I've worked here, at the home of the Cobblepots,” he was saying as Josh looked into the van and his eyes went wide at the sight of a piece of paper on the floor, it contained a crudely drawn map, in red ink, with crosses on it...

The guy was still talking.

Somewhere in the background, the kids were laughing as Little Penguin waddled across the lawn with cake and Lucy and Maria chased him. The other kids were eating or dancing or standing around having fun as they chattered away. Molly and Oswald were under a tree at a distance, sharing a bottle of scotch. For Josh, all sounds and sights faded out like he was standing in a tunnel, blocking out all but the suspect who was still with his back turned.

_Josh knew that map, he knew that drawing, and he recognised every line drawn in red ink..._

The man turned around, his face still marked by traces of grease paint as he looked at Josh and suddenly, his eyes were filled with malice.

“ _Don't fucking move!”_ Josh said as he drew his gun, holding it in two handed grip as he aimed it at the suspect.

The clown sneered.

“ _Well, that was bad luck. But the shoot to kill order is still on, kill me or not, you can't stop it from happening now. As for this place, Tick Tock, tick tock, Boom!”_

He grinned.

Josh squeezed the trigger.

The clown's head exploded like a watermelon as half his skull was blown away, spattering the van as he fell.

“ _Clear the area!”_ Josh yelled, _“There's a bomb!”_

All hell broke loose.

Oswald got up, pulling Molly with him.

On hearing the shot and then the shout, Little Penguin stopped running across the lawn and spat cake from his mouth as he waved his flippers in panic, looking about for his parents. Penguin Cobblepot waddled fast across the lawn and picked him up as he wailed _Daddy_ , and then took him further into the grounds, away from the house as others followed. Security had scattered in all directions as Jax directed staff to round up the kids and keep them away from the house, and from parked vehicles.

Josh lowered his smoking gun, looking at the dead man at his feet. Then he looked into the van, seeing behind all he had packed away, there was other stuff in there, wires, cables and timers... bomb making equipment...

Josh was feeling shaken as he led the sweep of the grounds, the vehicles and then the house. The GCPD turned up to assist. An explosive device was found in the kitchen. There was another beneath Oswald's car. Both were disarmed and removed safely while the kids and the adults who had come along waited in the middle of the lawn, far away from the house. Josh was sure if there were more devices, he would have known. He hadn't even seen this coming in a vision, but maybe it was because the danger had passed quickly, and as it was intended to be...

Two hours later, Jim Gordon confirmed a fingerprint scan of the dead man identified him as Leslie Pipe, wanted for many fires and bombings post war – his name had been linked to the Haven tragedy, but Pipe had vanished soon after. This was the man named by Shepard Lambrick, after overhearing Bane's conversation in war time.

It was over.

_At least, it seemed that way - the bomber had been caught._

Oswald didn't care that he had met swift justice at the business end of the gun Josh had fired, torture would have been preferable after all Pipe had done, but he was dead, the threat was removed and it seemed, all was well...

Josh still thought on that shoot to kill order Pipe had mentioned before he pulled the trigger... What the hell was that about?

By now Oswald had ordered the armed guards to stay posted at the West family home until the end of the week while his own men and the GCPD did thorough checks to ensure there was no hint of a threat lingering to the family.

Josh was congratulated by Oswald for his efforts to catch the bomber and he said James Gordon would want to thank him, too.

Josh had smiled, but inside, he was still uneasy.

He was right to be uneasy, because it _wasn't_ over yet, he felt it strongly.

Luna had insisted on taking the party food inside and the kids having a couple more hours together, because she didn't want her party to end like this, with everyone going home because of a shooting around the side of the house that no one else had seen. _How like her mother,_ Oswald had thought fondly as he looked at Luna and thought of Fish, who never would have shut the club down over a killing in the alley outside.

Once everyone had been assured the threat was over, after the kids wound down the unsettled atmosphere with extra food and drinks and music, and Luna did her best to celebrate her birthday with a lot of pictures, the guests went home, many being relieved to do so. At least Little Penguin had helped make the situation lighter by being the first to run over to the buffet that had been moved indoors, and then he had proceeded to eat until he crashed out on the couch. Molly made sure she apologised for the upset as every parent took their child home, but they all nodded and seemed to understand, there had been an incident away from the party, they had heard a shot, they had to wait for a sweep of the house, but no one had been harmed. Security had done an excellent job. The body of Pipe had been taken away discreetly, and an hour after the house was cleared and safe to return, the cop cars had gone. Oswald's men maintained a high presence for the rest of the evening.

Molly felt thankful Josh had acted quickly, and she was also glad the threat was gone. Jim had a theory that Pipe had planned to use today to plant bombs at the house, to kill Oswald and as many of the family as he could, before moving on with his plans, most likely involving the enquiry at City Hall, and several witnesses who planned to speak.

But, it seemed to be over now.

Josh still felt sure it wasn't over yet, and that feeling lingered.

_That night as he slept, the dream came back to him._

_It was dark._

_Jax went in the front door and got peppered with bullets._

_Josh followed._

_The gunman opened fire._

_He woke in a cold sweat, knowing whatever this vision was about, it was not cancelled out yet._

_It was still to come..._

It was just gone eleven thirty at night when Molly woke up to a knock on the bedroom door, by security. Oswald got up and blinked away sleep in time to hear Julian yelling downstairs. News of the bomber's shooting had broken, and he was in a panic about it. Oswald had asked staff to call him to explain that there had been an incident, and everyone was safe, but clearly, the message had not been accessed until late at night. Julian had just found out, seen the news reports, and now he was frantic with worry as he pushed past staff and hurried up the stairs with a look of panic in his hazel eyes.

“ _Where the fuck are the kids?”_ he demanded as Oswald tied his robe and limped out of the bedroom, following Molly, who had thrown on a dressing gown and told the staff this was family business.

The security staff were going back down stairs as Molly and Oswald joined him in the upper hallway as the light from the chandelier above shone brightly, making crystal droplets dazzle as the bulbs glowed.

“The kids are fine, keep your voice down!” Molly said firmly, “The bomber was working as a kid's entertainer – he came over here for the party, he's been working his way through jobs for school friends of Little Penguin, doing parties for the kids, knowing it was only a matter of time before someone recommended him to us! He's been waging a campaign against Oswald since he opened up the enquiry – and Josh recognised a map in the back of his van, and he shot him. It's over, Julian, the threat is gone!”

Julian looked caught between panic and anger as he looked at Molly.

“And Josh shot the guy around the corner from the party, bullets were flying near the kids – two of them are MY kids!”

“Julian,” Oswald said, trying to contain his anger, “My men are highly trained. It was a close, precision shot to take out a deadly threat – you make it sound like my people wave their guns about like it's the wild west and you know that's not the case! No one saw what happened, we were even able to continue the party once the house was swept and the area was declared safe! The last thing the kids need is you showing up at this time of night and yelling about a shooting!”

Julian shook his head as he turned away.

“No, sorry, Ozzie. I'm not buying that. I'm taking Gertie home right now!”

“It's late and she's asleep!” Molly protested as Julian went off down the hallway and straight into the nursery, where he turned on the light as Gertie woke up, blinked and then smiled as she recognised her birth father, who reached into her bed and wrapped her in a blanket and lifted her out.

“She's coming home with me right now!” Julian insisted, and he pushed past Molly and Oswald, as over his shoulder, Gertie looked back at them in confusion as her Daddy carried her down the hallway, heading for the stairs.

“Julian, wait!” Molly called as she and Oswald hurried after him.

A door opened and Felix looked out, his hair messy from sleep.

“Is Julian back?” he asked.

“No, he's not, love. Go back to bed,” was all Molly said in reply.

The porch light came on as they followed Julian from the house. Oswald stood there blinking away tears as Julian put Gertie in her car seat, carefully strapping her in.

“Julian,” Molly said, but he closed the car door and looked back at her angrily.

“No, I'm not listening! Gertie's a baby, she doesn't need to be exposed to your world,” that comment was aimed at Oswald, as hurt registered in his eyes, “I'm done with this family!” Julian told him, “I'm not even sure Lucy should be living here – what will happen if someone else decides to try and kill you or Molly or the kids? I don't want MY children getting caught up in any more of the shit this family goes through! How many times have we been in danger, because of what you do, Oswald? You're the head of the fucking underworld and you've had a lifetime to make enemies. I don't want to be a part of that and I don't want my kids getting caught up in it any more!”

“The kids are safe!” Molly exclaimed as she reached for him, but he shrugged off her touch.

“I need to be with my Dad, with my Uncle and Amy - and that's the family Gertie needs. I won't take Lucy from you, Molly - but I think she should spend time away from this house. I'm just trying to look out for my family.”

“Please stop and think about this, Julian,” Oswald said as his voice trembled.

“No, I don't want to know,” Julian replied as he went around to the drivers side and opened the door.

“ _I love you!”_ Oswald cried in desperation.

Julian glanced at him, for a moment Molly saw pain reflected in his gaze as he blinked away tears.

“It's late, I need to take Gertie home,” was all he said in reply, then he got into the car and drove away, not looking back as Oswald tearfully called his name.

Molly put her arm around her husband.

“Leave him for tonight, love. He's upset! Maybe we can call him in the morning.” It was all she could think to say to calm Ozzie as she led him back inside, still tearful over Julian's hasty exit.

As the days passed by, the story of what had happened at the Cobblepot house became old news. The bomber responsible for the latest wave of foiled attacks was unmasked as a conspirator in the Monolith tragedy and the Haven explosion. And he was gone now, taken out with a bullet by one of Oswald's brave Generals. The story was aired in detail for five days during the war enquiry. By now, with the Monolith incident covered and the finger of blame pointed and the one responsible dealt with, it was time to wind up proceedings ahead of schedule. Oswald made a grand speech about how he hoped the uncovering of truths and a pursuit of justice, including the execution by the underworld of the one responsible for the fire trap, would bring a sense of closure and justice to the families of the dead. James Gordon's speech was different but underneath, stated the same.

_The enquiry was over.  
Oswald was glad it was done with._

_He was also happy the people had answers, too._

And that was the end of it, as the cameras stopped filming and the final day of the enquiry was closed down. The world had watched and ratings had been huge, and the fascination for the city of Gotham was at an all time high around the world. People now knew who the head of the underworld was, they knew of his family, and of his Generals, too. Josh would go down in history as the man who took out the bomber. As for Jax, it seemed of all the players in this tale of the fascinating city of Gotham, he was the one who drew the most attention. The young man from the streets, desperate for a new start, who had robbed Oswald and then seen the Penguin take pity on him, and give him that new start, as he worked his way up to become Oswald's General Jax Sterling, now twenty five years on, he was a man who who fought many underworld wars and lost his arm in the battle to liberate Gotham from Bane's clutches. The public were captivated by his story. Jax found all the attention amusing. He had even stumbled across a fan page called _Jax Sterling is Hot_ , and he laughed about it as Carol had smiled, saying she had to agree that these people were very observant and quite correct about that, too! Josh was thankful Jax got all the attention. He had switched his internet connection to the _Gotham City only_ option and blocked the whole media circus out.

In all this time that had passed, Julian had remained silent about his plans. He had not said he did not want to proceed with the divorce, only that he wanted to pause the proceedings for a while, to give Oswald time to get over the strain of the many days spent at the enquiry. Oswald saw that as hopeful. Molly warned him not to get too hopeful about anything, as Julian was not intending to come home. He had recently made arrangements in writing, for Oswald's clarification, regarding the sharing of custody of Lucy and Gertie. He had told Molly this was to make it clear so there would be no disagreements regarding the kids later on. He messaged Molly often, and asked her not to tell Oswald. He talked about how happy he was to have a better relationship with his Dad and how thankful he was for this second chance.

“Julian,” Molly had said as she called him while Oswald was downstairs in the study and she was upstairs in the bedroom, “I still love you, sweetheart. Won't you reconsider? We both want you home. We love and need you with us.”

“I would come back if I thought it was good for me and the kids and my Dad,” Julian replied, “But Ozzie has caused a lot of hurt to my father, Molly. And after the shooting at Luna's party, I can't think about bringing Gertie back under your roof, I'm sorry. It's different here, with Herbert and my Dad, it's more like a normal life. I never knew how much I missed that until I stopped being one third of the most powerful relationship in the city. And I like my life the way it is. I can't change that, and I'm asking you to give me space to enjoy it.”

“You know you're always welcome back,” she said as her heart ached for him, “And Ozzie would do anything for you! He's even offered to put a spin on Shepard's story and reveal that Bane forced him to work for him, saying he had to do it or he would kill you – and Ozzie can get some clever people on this to make it all look believable. Shepard would never have to watch his back in this city again.”

“Then he can do that,” Julian told her, “But no strings attached, Molly. No deal here, just let him do it out of the generosity of his heart, without me coming into the bargain. Then maybe I'll consider that Oswald does care – for my Dad as well as me. But even then, it doesn't mean I'm coming back. He would have to do this with no incentive involved.”

“And I'm sure he'll do that,” Molly replied, “I'll talk to him about it.”

“He's willing to lie to the people of this city, after working so hard to reveal the truth about the war?” Julian said in surprise, “Oswald would lie just to _hope_ that I might change my mind about the divorce?”

“He would do anything to make you happy, whether you came back or not,” Molly reminded him.

“I hope he means it,” Julian replied, “I have to go now, I'm busy.”

“Okay love, speak soon,” Molly had said, and then she ended the call, half afraid to hope for anything more than Julian simply thanking Oswald when the media spin was done. It was clear that he didn't want to come back, he was still hurting over Ozzie making his father ill, and then, after the shock of a shooting happening while the kids party was going on, he definitely wanted out. But she didn't know yet if he meant forever, or for a period of separation, because he needed a break from underworld life. Only time would tell.

Oswald was more than willing to do a favour for Shepard. He was still clinging desperately to the hope that any kind of wish he could grant as king of the underworld would send Julian hurrying back to him. He hired a media consultant from London, who went into talks with him regarding an interest in permanent residency in Gotham, along with a generous pay package with added bonuses thrown in. Oswald said yes to everything.

The next two weeks saw Oswald spending most of his time at Cobblepot Industries, in talks with the man who would turn the Shepard Lambrick story around and win him public sympathy.

When the news broke, the story went out first in the city and then world wide, that Shepard Lambrick had been forced to work for Bane, who had abducted Julian. The story went, that to this day Shepard had never spoken out about the truth, that he had worked for Bane to keep Julian alive – for fear that old associates of Bane would have him killed for it. Oswald did all the talking, Shepard was not required to be present. Oswald revealed that proof existed in the form of film footage of Bane making a threat to Julian's life as he told Shepard he would work for him, or watch his son die, as Shepard begged for mercy. Then the footage was played – all cleverly worked out with actors playing the roles, the man who played Bane kept his back to the camera. The guy playing Shepard was filmed at a distance, the picture quality not great.

_And the people of the city and far beyond it fell for it all._

Jim Gordon even spoke up in defence of Shepard Lambrick, in exchange for a generous donation to police supported charities, a deal that was kept strictly under the table. Jim wasn't happy about the dishonesty, but they had a pact with the underworld and that was how it went sometimes – there could be no right or wrong in the eyes of Oswald and his associates, only shades of grey...

And Molly watched it all unfold, it took three weeks for the entire media circus to start up and wind down and by the end of it, Shepard was cleared of all blame for the role he played in Bane's war. So much sympathy had been generated for him that now he didn't have to worry for his safety any more – the people of the city welcomed him.

Oswald's plan had worked.

_And Julian called him and thanked him._

_But he did not come back home..._

_Never before had Oswald laid out such a careful and expensive plan to see nothing in return but a polite thank you from Shepard, and then from Julian. Molly had warned him not to get his hopes too high and it seemed she was right – Julian did not want to come back._

By now, summer was almost at an end. Julian was still giving a pause to the divorce proceedings, at least until October, he said, to give Ozzie a break from stress after the enquiry. He made it clear he wanted Oswald to rest because, he said, he never wanted him to have a breakdown, like Shepard did. Those words had stung no matter how nicely Julian had said it. That wound had gone deep, to scar forever.

By now, Molly had adjusted to life without Julian. She still missed him and wanted him home, but she knew begging was not the answer. She tried to dissuade Oswald from calling him or making any attempt to ask him to come back. That choice would have to be Julian's alone, and she knew it was a choice he may – or may not – ever decide to make. Much of her thought was taken up with missing the third party in their marriage, and there were many times when she hugged Lucy, after seeing a look in her eyes that reminded her of Julian. Lucy knew, because she sensed it.

“Daddy still loves you both,” she said, “He just needs to be with his other family now.”

_She made it sound so simple._

_Molly wished she could see it as easily as Lucy did, but she could not._

Over at the West family home, Julian was settled into life with his brother and Shepard. He turned a blind eye to the time Amy spent with Shepard while Herbert was working. The biting phase seemed to be fading out now for Thorne, or maybe it was just that he was used to Julian's presence. Julian enjoyed spending time with Gertie and Lily, and often did the school run for Amy, while he didn't want to think about what could be happening upstairs in Shepard's room while they were left alone and the younger kids were sleeping. Seeing Shepard's mental state improve greatly had made him happy. Now the city had fallen for the careful spin put on Shepard's wartime actions, Shepard felt like this was a new start. His depression had disappeared. But Julian still did not want to go back home to Oswald, who had caused so much damage. But it didn't stop him thinking about his Ozzie, as he closed his eyes at night and jerked his cock as he thought about Oswald dominating him, fucking him hard in the ass, or tenderly kissing away his tears after a fantasy session in their playroom. Oswald was a combination of sweet and sadistic, and all in good measures. He was also passionate and his love was as deep as it was real. Julian cried into his pillow after orgasm as he lay alone, missing him as he wished Molly's arms were around him, and her voice was soothing in his ear. But then he would push it all away, reminding himself why had made the break, and why he needed a new start.

It was late at night when Herbert returned from the lab. He made his way up the stairs and then paused, hearing voices softly spoken coming from the direction of Shepard's room. He stepped closer, back tight to the wall as he listened, shocked at all he heard:

“Thank you for helping me to bed tonight, Amy,” Shepard said, “And it was so kind of you to help me with my bath earlier, too. You make life stuck in this chair so much easier to handle.”

“You know I can't keep my hands off you!” she teased, and as Herbert peered around the doorway, his eyes went wide at the sight of Amy and Shepard sharing a kiss. It wasn't an innocent kiss goodnight. It was a full on passionate kiss that seemed to last for an eternity as he shifted back sharply, heart pounding as he realised Amy and his brother were having an affair...

For a moment he did nothing as the shock settled.

_And then shock turned to anger._

_And then, his thoughts turned to murder..._

As Amy turned away from the bed, she stopped abruptly as Shepard looked over at the doorway. They were both wondering how long Herbert had been standing there, and they both looked guilty as hell...

“I brought your daughter back from death – I gave her life and this is how you repay me?” he said angrily, then he looked to Shepard, “And I saved you too, I brought you back after Bane snapped your neck in half! You've both betrayed me!”

Anger spilled over as Amy blinked away tears.

“ _And you didn't tell me you've shot yourself so full of Re Agent that our kid would look sub human!”_ she yelled, _“It's your fault Thorne is a freak!”_

He stared at her for a moment.

“You think our son, who you planned without my knowledge is a freak?”

He stopped right there, laughing as he looked at them coldly.

“What a pair you make! Freaky Amy with no feeling between her legs, with Shepard, my brother, whose ability to get erect is a distant memory! It's hardly the recipe for any kind of sex life! I was under the impression you needed those G spot orgasms, Amy! You won't get that from him. We both took piano lessons as boys and I remember, Shep never was very good with his hands!”

“Herbert, I'm sorry!” Shepard said, “Blame me – not her! It just happened, we didn't plan for it!”

Bitterness shone in Herbert's eyes.

“It's not even about sex. It's far more serious. You love him, don't you, Amy.”

She stifled a sob.

“I love you both!”

“ _Guys, could you keep the noise down? There are kids asleep in this house.”_

All three of them looked to the doorway as Julian looked back apologetically.

“I don't want to get involved in this, I just want the kids kept out of it,” he said, “I really don't want my daughter hearing all this fighting.”

“Did you know about Amy and Shepard?” Herbert demanded angrily.

Julian looked away for a moment, then he glanced back at Herbert.

“I don't care what goes on in this house as long as the kids don't get affected,” he replied, “You can all fuck each other for all I care – just don't upset the kids with your fights!”

“Julian's right,” Amy agreed, “We need to stop this. Herbert, let's go and talk in the bedroom – alone.”

Herbert shot his brother a look of pure murderous rage and then left the room as Amy followed him out. Julian looked back at Shepard, who was tearful as he sat there in bed, on the brink of panic.

“I do love her, and I _never_ meant for this to happen!” he said as tears choked his voice.

For a fleeting moment, Julian was gripped with the fear that his father was about to have another breakdown. He went over to the bed, sat on the edge of it and put his arms around him tightly.

”It's okay, Dad, these things happen in life, no one is perfect,” he said as Shepard gave a sob, “Don't worry, I know it's a mess, but we can handle this.”

As he said that, Julian hoped he was right. The look he had seen in the eyes of Herbert West was one of pure rage and murderous intent - and he wasn't about to let anything happen to his father if Herbert decided to do something about that...


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

“ _My brother, it's always my brother who starts trouble!”_ Herbert fumed, running his fingers through his hair as he turned in frustration from the window to look at Amy, who stood a short distance away, the bedroom door was closed and Herbert didn't want to wake the children – but he was so angry with Amy, he wanted to kill her for such a betrayal.

“Do you see what he's done?” Herbert demanded, “I took him in, I let him in too close and now, he's ...what _is_ he doing with you, Amy? He can't fuck you. And you liked to be fucked, you love cock inside you... _why_ are you so driven by basic needs?”

Anger rose up in her as she glared back at him.

“You were only too concerned about my _basic_ needs when you injected me to bring back feeling to my clit!” she said sharply, “And you fucked that up, you gave me too much -”

“I gave you a shot of nerve repair agent, I told you sensation could become too intense with artificially stimulated pathways! But you _still_ wanted it!”

“And _you_ enjoyed it while it was good!”

“It was always good, it was wild, we were kinky, it was fun,” Herbert told her as he stepped closer, “But Amy, sex is a basic, _very_ basic human instinct and there's so much more to life, so much that matters _more_ than cock in cunt!”

“And Shep can't give me that,” she replied defiantly, “He can't fuck me any more than I can come if he licks my pussy and you know what? It doesn't matter. Love is deeper than sex!”

“And that's why I'm bothered by this,” Herbert said coldly, “You loved me, and then you decided you loved him – I married you, I'm the one who gave Lily life! I made a life for myself with you both, I even forgave you for using me to get pregnant with Thorne – and don't blame me for the way he turned out, you never asked why I didn't want kids! You had to get pregnant without my knowledge and find out the hard way!”

“ _I didn't know I married an addict!”_ she said sharply, and Herbert flinched.

“I use Re Agent to preserve my own reanimation, top up doses, I use it to keep my mind sharp too, I've been doing that for decades!”

“ _And_ you use it to get high!” she said accusingly, “Don't deny it, Herbert! There's so much of that shit inside you, Thorne never stood a chance of being a normal kid!”

“And I told you that while there was still time to abort the baby,” Herbert said, stepping closer as he lowered his voice, “But _you_ chose to keep him, and now he's here and we both love him very much. Don't bring him into this! Blame me all you want but not him, it's not his fault. I admit the blame rests on me for his altered DNA.”

Amy blinked away tears.

“What are we going to do?”

Herbert's rage had simmered right down as he looked into her eyes.

“I don't know, Amy,” he said honestly, “I'm not like Julian. I won't happily share you with a third party. He might have been happy to live in a marriage with three people, but I am not like that. I want you all to myself. I refuse to share you with my brother. He planned this! He wrecks everything he touches, and now he's got into our marriage! I never wanted him here permanently, Amy! Oswald has smoothed over his role in the war. He's given him a new start in this city. He should move out and leave us in peace and then maybe we can mend our marriage.”

“I'm sorry,” Amy said tearfully, “I never meant for any of this to happen.”

“I'm aware of that.”

Herbert was getting undressed, ready to go to bed and write this off as something to blame on his brother.

“I do love -”

“I know you love me, Amy. Now let's go to bed and sleep and in the morning, we won't fight. But Shepard is leaving. He has to go before he wrecks our marriage and right now I think we are too strong to let that happen, and I want to keep it that way.”

Amy said no more as Herbert got into bed. She undressed and turned out the light and got in beside him, and he put his arm around her and placed a soft kiss on her shoulder as he closed his eyes, as she lay there thinking, she had been about to say, _I do love Shepard!_ But he had spoken up and cut off her words. Now as she lay there, she looked to the window, shedding silent tears as she felt truly torn in half by the choice she faced:

_She did love them both._

_And she wanted to stay with Herbert and raise the kids._

_But at the same time, she couldn't let go of Shepard..._

Julian didn't get much sleep that night. He had stayed up with his father until the early hours of the morning, to be sure Herbert didn't go crazy and burst in with that murderous look back in his eyes. But Herbert and Amy went off to bed after a heated discussion that vaguely carried through the walls, and then Julian had laid on top of the bed next to his Dad, and caught a couple of hours sleep before dawn.

He woke to Amy talking to Thorne in the nursery as he gave his little grunts and Ma Mas in his rough, deep voice, and then he laughed. Gertie was up and Lily was talking to her. The kids were okay. They knew nothing about the potentially explosive quarrel that had happened last night.

Julian didn't know what to expect when he left Shepard to sleep and went out to the hallway. Herbert passed him wearing his lab coat and said _Morning, Julian,_ as if it was just another day and then he went downstairs, heading for the door, to leave the house and go over to the lab. Julian went into Lily's room to get Gertie up and ready to start the day. It seemed so normal in this house now. Amy was calling to Lily that breakfast was ready. Lily hurried out in a grey dress that almost matched the shade of her ghostly skin as she hurried past him. It _was_ just a normal day. Gertie smiled as he went into the room.

“Morning, sweetie,” Julian said as he lifted his daughter into his arms, hoping that last night's quarrel really was sorted out, and this wasn't the calm before a terrible storm...They no longer had guards posted outside the house, not now the bomber had been executed. But the panic button installed in the upper hallway still worked, and Julian was glad the underworld and the GCPD had not bothered to remove it – if there was any hint of violence in this house, he would be hitting that button, grabbing the kids and getting the hell out...

Josh woke sharply with a gasp as in his mind, Jax was peppered with bullets, blood oozing from his gut as he slumped against a wall. Josh turned and the gunman fired. It had all played over again, that same scenario, in the dark, going through an open door and both of them being shot to death...

He knew he was sweating.

“Are you okay?” Selina asked as she sat up and placed a hand on his arm. Josh shook his head.

“I had that bad dream again - vision - what ever it is... me and Jax, the night we both get killed.”

“It's not going to happen, you've seen it so many times, you'll know how to avoid it when the time comes.”

“But it's so real and it never changes. I don't even know when, I don't get to see a date or a clock or anything to give a hint when this shooting happens... I don't even know where it happens, it's dark outside.”

Selina felt a sliver of cold fear shift through her as she looked at her husband. Josh was scared. It took a lot to scare him, but this was different. He had repeatedly seen his own death, and the death of Jax Sterling, and it was haunting him more than any of the other visions he had seen before.

“You'll know when it happens,” she reminded him, “The conversation in the car, that's your warning.”

“I hope so,” Josh replied as he met her gaze, “Because I've been seeing it for months and it never changes - and I'm not even sure if I can change it.”

Oswald paced the floor of his study as he held the phone to his ear, hearing it ring as he waited for Julian to pick up. Molly had said, don't call him. But he had resisted for far too long and now, as Julian finally answered, he felt his heart miss a beat.

“Yes, Oswald, what do you want?” Julian sounded emotional.

Oswald drew a deep breath.

“I want an end to this talk of divorce. I want you to come home and I want you to remember, Cain lives with Ronnie now. There's a spare room, Julian.”

“You want me to move into the spare room? I have a room here at Herbert's house.”

“No, no,” Oswald said, blinking away tears as explained the rest, “I want us to try again, you, me and Molly. And that spare room is not for you. I would like your father to move in with us. I'm inviting Shepard to become a part of this family.”

There was a stunned silence on the end of the line.

“I'm sincere,” Oswald added, “He's a changed man - and I admit I did do the media spin on his wartime role purely to give him a clean slate here in the city, to help ease your hurt perhaps more than his, but this offer is genuine. Molly is aware of it, she knows I was thinking about making you this offer, and she said, don't do it yet, because he will say no -”

“You want my Dad to come and live at the house?”

“We have an elevator, Julian. It would be easy for your father, far better than struggling with the stairs. And the spare room looks out over the gardens. I have put the past firmly behind me with the closure of the enquiry... and I'm begging you to please think about this. I love you so much. I will learn to love your Dad too. I know he's changed. I know all about change, life has changed me in many ways, too. And what I did at the enquiry was wrong. Please, Julian, will you consider this?”

As he waited for an answer, he wasn't getting his hopes too high. Molly was sure Julian didn't want to be pushed towards any decision, he just wanted time and space away from the house and maybe, he really did want that divorce, too. But Oswald kept a spark of hope alive that he would agree.

Finally, Julian spoke.

“It would have to be a complete new start, Oswald. I want double security outside the house, I want to know the kids are safe, I want to know they won't be seeing any shootings.”

“Done,” Oswald replied as he struggled to hold back his tears, “So does that mean you're coming home, and bringing your father with you?”

Julian gave a heavy sigh.

“I think Dad will agree to that.”

Oswald gave a sob.

“ _Oh Julian, thank you so much! I love you so much... and listen, I've made a decision...”_

Julian listened.

By the time the call ended, it was settled. Julian was returning home and the divorce was off the table. This really would be a brand new start...

“How the _fuck_ did you manage it?” Molly exclaimed as she blinked away tears of joy. She had returned from the school run to find Oswald in the hallway waiting for her, his eyes sparkling and a smile on his face as he announced the news.

“ _He said yes to coming home, and yes to allowing Shepard to move in, and yes to a new start with us!”_  
“Oh that's great news!,” Molly said, knowing she had seen enough of Shepard to know he was a changed man now, and if he needed to move in for Oswald to prove his sincerity, if that was what it took to mend the family, she would go along with that.

Oswald limped closer, a softness about his gaze as he added, “I told him the rest of the plan. For me and him when he returns.”

“And what did Julian say?” she asked.

“He said _yes!_ ” Oswald's eyes were filled with tears of joy as Molly hugged him. It was going to be okay, Julian was coming back. And this time, their marriage would be stronger than ever.

“Did you tell him why you knew I'd accept his offer?” asked Shepard as he sat in his chair, in his room by a darked fireplace as Julian stood there, hoping for a better reaction than suspicion.

“I didn't tell him it's best you get the hell out because you've been fucking with Amy. No, Dad I didn't say that. I said, yes I'll come back. I want to go back and try again. Ozzie's been making plans and I love the idea of it all! And he really does want both of us home, he wants you there, he wants you to be part of the family. That's a huge gesture for him to make, Dad, believe me – Oswald would _never_ invite anyone to live under his roof unless he thought of them as family.”

“And in light of the fact that my own brother wishes he could kill me, I'd better go along with this!” he replied.

“ _Go along with what?”_

Amy had just walked into the room and she stood there in the doorway, looking anxiously at him.

“What's going on, Shep?”

“I'm leaving,” he told her, “I'm leaving with Julian to go and live at Oswald's family home, at Oswald's invitation. Julian has decided to mend his marriage, too. And given the fact that Herbert knows about us, I'd say now is the best time for me to make my exit and leave you and my brother to be happily married with no one standing in the way of that.”

Amy stared at him.

“You're just going to leave? What about us?”

Regret reflected in his gaze.

“This isn't what I want, Amy. But Herbert is my brother and I was the one who made the first move and started this affair, I take full responsibility and moving out is the best thing I can do. He's your husband and you love him and I have no right to stand in the way of that.”

“But I love you too!” she said tearfully.

As she hurried over to him and reached for him, grasping his hands, Shepard struggled to hold back tears as he looked away for a moment, then finally he met her gaze, as tears cracked his voice.

“I have _no_ right to come between you, no matter how much it hurts to do this, I have to walk away! It's the right thing to do, the only thing to do!”

She shook her head.

“No, you can't do this to me!”

“This is what we should have done long ago,” he told her, “For the sake of your marriage to my brother. I don't want to leave you but I have no choice!”

A tear ran down his face as he let go of her hands.

Amy blinked away more tears as she looked to Julian.

“Take care of him.”

“Always,” Julian assured her.

She took a last glance back at Shepard as he tearfully met her gaze, and then she left the room.

“I never wanted to let her go,” Shepard said quietly as he wiped his eyes.

“You did the right thing, Dad,” Julian assured him, giving his shoulder a pat.

Shepard was still tearful as he nodded in agreement.  
  


Everything happened fast. Partly because Julian was keen to get back home and partly because Herbert couldn't wait for Shepard to get out of his house. Herbert helped him pack. And he didn't once mention his anger over the affair.

“I'm sure you will have a happier life away from this place,” he said as he closed his suitcase, “And I'm thankful that we can get on with our lives with no harm done. Amy and I are just fine.”

“I'm glad to know that,” Shepard told him, and that was all that was said on the matter.

Julian was ready to leave with Gertie by the time Shepard joined him on the driveway. Herbert helped him from his chair and into the car and put his chair in the back, and then he wished him well and surprisingly, he sounded like he meant that, too. As the car drove away, Amy was absent. She was upstairs in the bedroom, crying tears she couldn't allow Herbert to see as she pressed her face into the softness of Shepard's pillow, inhaling the scent of her lover one last time.

That afternoon at the Cobblepot house, the kids were brought into the front room to meet Julian's father.

“This is Uncle Shep,” Molly said as Shepard sat there in his chair, “He's Julian's Dad and he's come to live with us.”

Then Molly introduced the kids.

“Luna's at a friends house this afternoon, you'll meet her later, she's fifteen. And this is Felix, he's almost ten and Lucy is almost nine. You've met Gertie, she's our youngest at one and a half.”

He smiled at the kids, who looked back at him with interest.

“Why are you in a wheelchair?” Felix asked.

“Because I broke my neck,” Shepard explained, “I know it doesn't look broken, but it was mended for me. But I can't walk very well so I'm in this chair most of the time.”

“Mommy, can I make Shepard better?” Lucy asked.

Shepard looked at Molly in surprise.

“What does she mean?”

“Lucy has a gift, a healing ability,” Molly told him, keeping it simple, “But she can't heal you because you've been revived with powerful healing agents, including Herbert's Re Agent...that's a definite no!” she looked at her daughter, “You can't heal him, love. It's too risky because of all the chemicals he's had inside him.”

Lucy looked a little disappointed.

“Sorry,” she said to Shepard, “I would heal you if I could, but I know I'm not allowed.”

“What's this about chemicals?” Shepard asked.

“It can cause very sharp and sometimes dangerous personality changes,” Molly replied, “And given your past, it's the last thing you would ever want to consider.”

Shepard nodded in agreement.

“Yes, it's certainly not worth the risk, I've come to far to go backwards now,” he told her.

“We have an elevator,” Felix told him, pointing to the old fashioned elevator across the room with a metal shutter pulled across it.

“Thank you Felix, I will be making use of that,” he said with a smile.

A chubby bulldog padded over and looked up at him.

“This is Edward the second, he's our dog,” added Lucy, “And he likes you, he says you can stay.”  
As if Lucy had read her mind, the dog looked at her, wagging his stumpy tail.

“Is Julian here yet?” asked Felix.

“No, he'll be back in a little while,” Molly replied, knowing Julian was already upstairs enjoying a passionate reunion with Oswald, “Let's go out in the garden, it's a lovely day...”

Upstairs in the main bedroom, Oswald's eyes were still wet with tears of joy as he lay naked on the bed, arching his back as he felt thankful for his youthful, flexible body as Julian licked hard at his ass and made him moan,

“I love your ass!” Julian whiskered, lapping at his opening again, as Oswald shuddered and reached down, raking his fingers through Julian's hair.

“Never leave me again!”

“I won't!” Julian vowed, and as he got up to unbuckle his jeans, he stood there for a moment, admiring the sight of Oswald glistening wet, swollen ass hole, it was already aptly open, and so very very wet inside...

Julian's cock was rock solid as he gave it a stroke, still looking at the sight of Ozzie on his back, legs spread and ready for him.

“My beautiful Ozzie” he said, and then he climbed on to the bed and his cock slid in fluid with a single thrust, as Oswald gave a soft cry and Julian buried it deep inside him.

“That feels like home!” Julian gasped as he started to gently thrust, watching Oswald's face as his lips parted and his eyes went wider as every thrust took him closer to the edge.

“My beautiful Ozzie with his brand new fertility implant,” Julian sad softly, breathing harder as he thrust again, “You want to have my baby, Oz?”

“ _Yes, I do!”_ Oswald gasped, as Julian thrust harder still, faster, then spent his orgasm quickly inside as he felt Oswald lose control, coming in a hot spurt against his belly as his cock stayed deep inside him until the last pulse of climax was done. Then he withdrew and they lay side by side, recovering.

Molly hadn't been sure at first, when Oswald had said he wanted to have Julian's baby. But physically, he was now only thirty four years old, and young and strong enough to take advantage of technology that had not existed in his youth the first time around. As soon as he had told Julian of his plan, he had sad yes right away. Now Oswald was carrying a fertility implant. They were back together and trying for a baby and this time, Ozzie would be the one to carry and give birth to the child. It made sense, this was a new start, and Oswald wanted to make the most of his new found youth. And there was room for two kids in that nursery, space would not be a problem...

Julian turned on his side and looked into Oswald's eyes.

“I never want to leave your side again!”

As he said that, he placed his hand on Oswald's belly, then slid it up a fraction, just below his ribcage, where that fertility unit had been implanted. Oswald smiled.

“I can't wait to know how it feels to carry your baby!” he said as joy shone in his gaze.

And now everything felt mended. They were together again. Finally, it felt like life was returning to how it should be, the bad times were over.

If the bad times were over for the Cobblepots, for another family, it was just beginning as night fell. The West family home was in darkness, the porch light had gone off at nine pm, and Herbert was working late while Amy went upstairs to check on Lily. She was sleeping soundly in her room, and little Thorne was snoozing in the nursery, in his cot with tall bars. He snapped open his green eyes and smiled sharp teeth as he saw her looking down at him.

“Oh no,”Amy muttered, knowing that wide awake look too well - he had very keen hearing, and had heard her, despite his deep sleep, as she crept in to check on him and now he was up and reaching for her.

“ _Ma Ma!”_ he said.

“Come on, then, up we go... looks like Mommy won't be getting an early night tonight...”

As Amy said that, she walked out of the nursery with Thorne in her arms and carried him downstairs, also carrying in her heart the silent sorrow she felt to know that Shepard was gone from the house. She loved him, she missed him. But she and Herbert had talked, and Herbert had said he was willing to forgive if she was willing to give their marriage all the effort it deserved. And she had agreed, because she loved her husband, and their family needed to stay strong and happy, and she couldn't allow her feelings for another man to undermine that. But it didn't stop her heart breaking more than a little for the pain she felt knowing Shepard was gone from her life. He had done the right thing, she knew that. But it didn't make it any easier to bear.

She was still thinking on those things as she heard a noise outside, like the wind rattling the front door. This was an old house, but every little sound set her on edge after Shepard had been identified as the possible target on the shoot to kill order left by Pipe. But Pipe was gone, surely there was no threat to anyone in this house now, and Shepard didn't even live here any more... Amy took Thorne through to the front room, left him on the rug for a moment as he sat there, smiling as he made his way over to the familiar sight of his play pen and the toys left beside it.

“Sit there for a minute and be good!” Amy said, and went out of the room again, closing the door behind her.

She went up to the front door, and then she opened it cautiously and looked out:

_No wind._

_Not a sign of it in the trees._

She stepped outside and looked to the place where the garbage was kept, nothing had been knocked over. She could see the path to the lab in the old building at the back of the premises, the lights were on in there as dusk started to give way to nightfall. Amy turned back and went inside, and that was when a hand clamped over her mouth, cutting off a scream as she struggled in vain and then felt a gun pressed to her head. In the darkened hallway, she saw two men, their faces covered, both were armed. The third was holding her and he hissed in her ear:  
“We are paid for a job, and it doesn't matter the guy who paid us is dead, we like our work. And we _don't_ like enemies who support the unity pact. Where the fuck is Shepard Lambrick?”

Amy breathed hard against the gloved hand over her mouth, and as it lifted away she screamed. He moved fast, but so did she, kicking back at his shins and then aiming a punch behind her, as he let go and yelled out as she caught a fist hard to his groin. She ducked and ran fast, covered by shadow as she made for the stairway, shots fired and bullets punched into antique wood as she slammed her hand against the panic button below an ornate panel, and then made for her daughter's room, where she closed the door and shoved a chest of drawers up against it. Then she stood there, breathless as Lily turned on her night light.

“Mommy?” she whispered.

“What the hell is _that?_ ” she heard a gunman say downstairs, then he yelled and a spray of bullets sounded.

“ _Thorne!”_ Amy gasped.

“Mommy?” whispered Lily again as fear shone in her eyes.

“ _Where the fuck did she go?”_ one of the men yelled as he ran up the stairs, and Amy looked about the room, then to the window.

“We have to climb out!” she whispered to her daughter, and she pushed up the sash and looked down. Below it was a sloping roof that led to the porch. They could both make it if they were quick.

In the front room, she heard a scream. It was a scream of horror and she couldn't bear to think about Thorne or what might have happened to him as she scrambled out, then lifted Lily through the window. By now night had fallen, and all the lights were off in the house. She looked down at the ground, and signalled to Lily to wait, and made her way to the edge of the roof, then lowered herself down and jumped, landing easily. She held her arms out to Lily.

“ _Quick!”_ she urged.

The pale, ghostly girl looked unearthly by a ray of moonlight that was soon blocked out by passing cloud. Amy saw fear in her eyes, then she heard someone try and force the door to her room as she looked back to the open window.

“Hurry up!” Amy urged.

Lily scrambled off the edge of the roof, dropping into her mother's arms as Amy tumbled on to the gravel. She was unhurt, and Lily was okay too, but very scared as she picked herself up and Amy got to her feet and grabbed her hand.

“We have to find Daddy!” She whispered, and then she held on tightly to her daughter's hand as together, they ran off through the woods, taking a short cut to the laboratory were Herbert was still working, oblivious to the invasion of their family home.

Herbert had just finished work for the evening when the door opened and Amy ran in, pale and terrified as Lily clutched at her hand.

“ _Herbert, there's people with guns, in the house. I heard shots, Thorne was in the front room..”_

She gave a sob as her shaking hand slid the bolt across the inside of the door, sealing them in the lab. Herbert's eyes widened in alarm behind the frames of his glasses.

“Have you called the cops?”

She shook her head.

“I hit the panic button...I grabbed Lily, we got out through a window. They were after Shepard, they said Pipe had paid them to kill him and they were against those who support the unity pact, they're anti unity, they'll kill us all!”

“No they won't get the chance,” Herbert said, and he went over to his desk and took out a gun, paused to check it, and then looked back at his family.

“Don't worry about Thorne. He's got natural survival instinct... trust me on that.”

He reached for his phone and made a call to the GCPD.

“This is Herbert West, reporting a home invasion. My family are in the lab, the gunmen are at the house... and so is our son. We have a son and he's... a little different. Authorities were not aware of him because of this, but he needs to be protected.”

“Stay calm, we're on the way,” came the reply, “And so are the underworld – the panic button is still live and it alerted them first, then us... stay in the lab and secure it.”

“I have, and I'm armed and ready to protect my family,” Herbert replied.

“That's good, sit tight, help is on the way,” came the reply.

Herbert lowered the phone and looked to Amy and Lily.

“Get in the back room,” he said, hurrying over to the door and opening up the lock to the place where Shepard used to stay, “It's warm and comfortable. I'm going to lock you in, don't worry, it's just a precaution.”

As she hurried into the room with Lily and they sat together on a soft bed, Amy blinked away tears.

“What about Thorne?” she said again.

“Don't worry about our son. I guess we had to tell the world about him sooner or later,” Herbert replied, and then he closed the door and secured it with a pad lock. If the gunmen broke into the lab, maybe they would shoot him. But Amy and Lily were safe, because the underworld or the cops would get here before they got that locked door open. As for his son, he didn't know. He could only hope for the best for Thorne as he stood there in the lab, looking to the door, gun at the ready.

Lucy Lambrick had been sleeping deeply at home in her room at the Cobblepot mansion. Suddenly her eyes snapped open as she stared into the darkness, seeing a snapshot of a time many years from now:

_She was a grown up._

_She was tall and slim with long blonde hair and looked just like the grown up she could turn herself into at will – but she didn't need to do that any more, here, she really was twenty five years old._

_And she was wearing a cool leather cat suit, like Selina._

_They stood side by side, he was standing there dressed in black wearing a long leather coat that caught on the breeze as they stood side by side on the roof of Wayne Enterprises, his skin was pale and marked with dark green veins, his eyes were a shade brighter and his jet black hair was gelled back sleek. He wasn't wearing them right now, but it was kind of amusing that this guy who looked super human with his glowing green eyes also wore glasses like his father when he needed to read, but right now, he was looking to the building several blocks away, watching for a sign._

_She knew he was Herbert and Amy's son, and his name was Thorne._

_She also knew Thorne had special gifts, just like she did._

“ _Five minutes to go,” he said in a deep, rasping voice, and then he chuckled, showing needle sharp teeth._

“ _Watch yourself, you don't want to lose that rock on your finger!”_

_She looked down at the diamond ring on her wedding finger._

“ _It's safe!”_

“ _It had better be. He paid enough for it! What do you see in that guy?”_

_Lucy smiled._

“ _Ever since I was a kid, when I turned myself into a grown up sometimes, I always knew I didn't like icky boys. You know, the ones that stare and look and make you feel... Ugh! He's not like that.”_

“ _That's because he's not interested!”_

“ _Good, it's how we both like it!” she said, glancing at him with a knowing look._

_Thorne laughed._

“ _You're both crazy. Oh Lucy... detonation time!”_

_She looked to the skyline as the tower opened up and the bomb detonated, sending a flash of white light across the city as they stood together pulling up every last drop of their exceptional gifts to neutralise the explosion..._

Lucy sat up, blinking into the darkness.

_Then she looked down at her hand, still nine years old, yet to be the hand of a grown up that wore the ring given to her by her prince, a nice man who loved her, who wasn't like the icky boys..._

_And then there was Thorne._

_He was going to be her best friend._

_He would be sixteen years old when they saved the city together..._

_She didn't know why they had to save the city, but it would come to pass, fifteen years from now. And so would something else. It was kind of cool, to know in advance that she would save Gotham and she would also be with a special person who loved her so much, and made her so happy. She also knew she would soon use her gift to take twenty years off her Mom, and Julian, so they could live longer together and get older much later. Daddy Oz would be in his late forties by the time she and Thorne saved the city. And he would be getting plump again with no regrets._ She laughed at the thought, and then she looked down at her finger, it would have to wait many years for that ring to appear, but that was okay, because things had to happen a certain way...

Lucy settled back down to sleep, smiling as she dreamed of saving the city with a boy named Thorne, and then she thought of the man she was destined to marry. She already knew who he was, too...

While Lucy Lambrick had seen her own future, she had not detected the danger over at the West family home. Sometimes Lucy got flashes of the future as warnings, but not tonight. Only Amy hitting the panic button had alerted the underworld and the GCPD, and as the cop cars raced through the city, heading out the house in the woods, Jax and Josh, who were on night shift and required by law to respond to an emergency of this magnitude, were already pulling up beneath the shade of a tree near the West house. Jax pressed his shoulder tightly, ensuring his artificial arm was on securely, and then he paused to check his weapon as he looked to the house shrouded in darkness.

“Maybe it was an accidental button press,”Josh suggested, “I took Pipe out weeks ago.”

“But you said something about a shoot to kill order, if he was employing anti pact terrorists, they won't give a damn if he's out of the picture, he's named unity pact supporters who he wanted taken out. They'll do it for pleasure.”

Jax was watching the house, seeing no movement as he got out of the car and Josh followed. Jax checked his phone as a message flashed up.

“GCPD just said Herbert and the family are out the back in the lab,” he looked about, seeing the front door open as moonlight spilled in, “We should go in the house and take out the gunmen,” Jax decided, “You go around the back -”

“Not by the front door!” Josh whispered as they crept closer to the house, “I think this is the dream I saw, oh shit, it could be the dream...Maybe we should wait for back up!”

“It doesn't matter who gets here first, us or the GCPD,” said Jax, “It's an incident both parties are responding to, so we're in good company soon.”

Jax looked to the front door, it was open and he saw no movement within as he changed his mind on the two of them splitting up.

“Screw it, let's go in together. Cover me,” he said, and before Josh could say another word, Jax was in through the open door as Josh hurried after him, desperate to stop him before it was too late.

This _was_ his nightmare.

_It was coming true, and he knew what would happen next..._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Jax had just gone in. He had darted through the open doorway, counting on the moonlight that spilled in to lead the way. But that light vanished as another cloud covered the moon, plunging the house into darkness as Josh followed, gun ready.

He heard shots and in the gloom, turned in the hallway to see Jax, hit and slid down a wall and now motionless.

He knew what was coming next as he turned around in time to see the moonlight shining once again through a window, as he caught the sleek barrel of a gun aimed at his head.

There was a flash of gunfire.

_And the gunman in front of him fell._

Josh blinked, looking down at the body.

_This was not how it had happened in the dream._

Then he realised something:

The flash of gunfire had come from _over_ his shoulder...

Josh slowly turned around, just as the hallway light came on.

Jax Sterling was up from the floor, and had just hit the lights.

“I told you I believed in your prophecy,” he said, “And I've taken no chances ever since!”

He pushed his jacket aside, popped the buttons on a bullet riddled shirt, and revealed a bullet proof vest. Then Jax paused to wince as he felt the bruising from the force of the shots, and indicated to a second body further up the hall.

“I took one of 'em out as the other started shooting. Then I waited for you to come in. I knew one would be right in front of you, giving me time to get up form the floor and take aim, because I know what you saw. _Sometimes it's better to face destiny head on Josh. Especially if you know what's coming._ ”

He turned away as Josh stood there, looking on with a stunned expression.

“We should check the rest of the house,” Jax added, and opened up the living room door as Josh followed.

Both men stopped in their tracks, staring at the sight of the bloody mess in the front room. The zombie-like baby crawled out of the cavity it had gnawed in the third gunman's chest and smiled, showing razor sharp teeth.

“ _Ma Ma, Da Da!”_ said the monster child. Then he looked at Jax and Josh and snarled as both men raised their weapons in confusion.

“ _Stop!”_ Herbert said, dashing for Thorne, oblivious to being in the line of fire as he lifted his son into his arms, “This is Thorne, my son. As you can see, he's... _different_. And I'm well aware it's a crime in this city to conceal a birth, and I know I'm in trouble for that. Don't blame Amy, it was my idea...” he swallowed nervously as he held the zombie like child, “Besides, he _only_ ate an anti unity pact terrorist, surely that's not a crime in police or underworld law?”

Jax and Josh exchanged a glance.

Herbert laughed nervously.

Then his smile faded.

“I hope this rule breaking won't lose me the right to live in the city. I was trying to protect Thorne. It's my fault he's like this – years of using Re Agent, injecting it... he turned out like this, but he's learning to get the biting under control! He did this to protect us, he sensed a threat to his family – and was only a terrorist, it's not as if he ate one of you guys, or a member of the GCPD!”

Outside, blue lights were flashing as GCPD cars screeched to a halt. Alarm registered in Herbert's gaze as he holed his son a little tighter.

“Please, don't let them take him!”

Jax turned to Josh, briefly touching his shoulder.

“I'll get rid of the cops, this is an underworld matter,” he said, “Call Oswald. Ask him to come over right away.”

“In the middle of the night?” Josh exclaimed.

“Yes, Josh. Now, please,” he said, and then Jax walked out, ready to get rid of the cops, then planning to arrange for the bodies to be removed from the West family home, to be sure the place was tidy when the king of the underworld arrived. Herbert said nothing as he waited and worried as he held Thorne in his arms, and Josh made a call to the Cobblepot family home.

Ninety minutes later, late at night after the bodies had been removed and the blood washed away and even the plaster and wood splinters from the bullet spray had been cleared up, a limo arrived outside. Jax had been waiting, and as Oswald got out, he looked tired and not too happy about being woken late at night after a joyful celebration of lovemaking, first with Julian, then he had watched Julian fuck Molly, and it had seemed as their break up had never happened as they shared all the pleasures they had shared before, as all past regrets were healed.. and as he lay between Molly and Julian, the phone had rang as Jax had explained about the incident at the West house, and that three anti pact terrorists were dead, one killed by a zombie type child, a son of Herbert and Amy West, a child whose birth had been concealed, and Herbert had admitted to that...

By now, Amy had sent Lily off to bed, and then she had made sure she was sleeping before she returned to join Herbert in the front room, looking tearfully towards the play pen where Thorne sat, draining a bottle of chilled blood. He put the bottle down, smiling at his parents.

“Mr Cobblepot is here,” Jax announced, and he glanced to Josh, who left the room with Jax, and they stood in the hallway as Oswald limped into the room, still feeling tired, missing the warmth of Molly and Julian and their bed, but this was a matter that couldn't wait. Protocol demanded he dealt with it right away, because Herbert was subject to an agreement to abide by all rules now he was a citizen of Gotham, and to break any of them was considered a serious offence to be handled by Oswald alone...

“I understand you and Amy concealed the birth of a child?” Oswald demanded.

Amy sat there on the sofa beside Herbert, blinking away tears.

“We both hid him,” she said, “Don't punish Herbert.”

“And please don't take him away, I know he's different but he only killed the gunman because he sensed a threat!”

Herbert looked in desperation at Oswald, who stood there looking youthful defying his age, dressed in a suit of midnight blue with his hair spiked as he carried the scent of costly cologne and power, this was the man who owned the city, who ran the underworld, and he was about to cast judgement on a serious breach of rules by one who was forbidden to break _any_ rules of Gotham City if he wanted to keep his residency and immunity from prosecution..

Herbert was sweating.

Amy blinked away tears.

“It's a very serious offence to conceal a birth, especially considering how different your child is... now, where is Thorne?” Oswald demanded, and Herbert indicated to the playpen on the other side of the room.

Oswald limped over to the playpen and looked down, seeing a half zombie child, who looked up at him, full of his bottle of blood and happy and fed, and he smiled up at Oswald with eyes a shade darker than Re Agent.

“Hello, you must be young Thorne,” Oswald said, and to Amy's horror, he reached into the play pen.

“ _Don't!”_ Herbert said in horror.

“Hello there, little Thorne,” Oswald said softly, and he smiled as the unusual child grunted and playfully growled like a puppy, and gave his hand the gentlest of nips, then he reached out with a small hand with claw like nails, grasping at Oswald's hand as he stood up in the play pen and smiled again.

And Oswald Cobblepot, full of hormones from the implant and broody for his own birth experience and longing to hold his own baby in his arms, was misty eyed as he smiled down at Thorne, and then he reached in the playpen, lifting him out and into his arms.

“I see no problem with this child,” he said kindly, smiling to Thorne and then looking to his parents, “I fully understand why you would conceal him, but we need to have a public record of his birth. I have the power to alter and create such records. I shall order his birth recorded tomorrow morning, listing his date of birth and naming his parents. I shall get my daughter River to declare she attended the birth, and please do share his medical records with River, Doctor West.”

Herbert nodded in agreement.

”Does this mean you'll let us keep him?” Amy asked anxiously.

Oswald still had Thorne in his arms as he turned to her in surprise.

“Why would I have him taken from you? I can see he's different. I understand he killed a gunman who entered this house with intent to slaughter the entire family. His little defence instinct kicked in. He's not attacking me. I can see he's going to grow up to be a fine young man. Don't worry about the way he looks,” Oswald added, “Being different is not a crime in Gotham City, remember that. I'm sure Thorne will be just fine.”

He handed the child to Amy, who nodded and blinked away tears as she smiled gratefully.

Herbert rose from his seat.

“I can show you his records, I've been taking great care of him since his birth... he looks different, but he's half human. The rest is down to my Re Agent use. I don't know what that will mean for him when he's older. For now, he eats raw meat. That might change as he gets older, only time will tell. I don't know if he has any unseen issues or abilities, but I can find nothing medically wrong with him. He's behaving mostly like a normal kid.”

“Apart from partially devouring an anti unity pact terrorist!” Oswald exclaimed, and for a moment Herbert looked very worried, until Oswald laughed and then Herbert laughed too.

Oswald was in a good mood as he bid the family goodnight, and then got into his limo. Jax and Josh were told to go home. They were thankful to end the shift. It had been a hell of a night. But for Josh, the fear of the nightmare coming true was now over. It had all happened – but thanks to Jax and his quick thinking, it had not turned out the way Josh had feared. Now he could go home to Selina and tell her, it was over. The shooting was done with, and he and Jax had made it through.

“He's a half zombie? You mean an _actual_ zombie kid?” Molly felt bad for saying it, but there was no other reaction she could give after Oswald had got back home and undressed as he related his tale, and then welcomed the embrace of the two people he loved most in this world.

“Yes Molly, and he's really quite adorable!” Oswald told her, glancing at Julian as he ran a hand below his ribs, thinking about their own baby that he hoped would soon be growing inside the implant, “All children are beautiful and precious,” Oswald added, taking on that misty eyed look again, “Oh, I can't wait to carry your child, Julian! I _so_ want a baby of my own, I can't wait to know how it feels to be a birth father!”

Molly started to smile as she watched the two of them cuddle up close as Julian rested his head on his shoulder and Oswald stroked his hair. She watched as the two of them fell asleep together, contented by their closeness, and then she turned out the light, turned on her side and draped an arm around them both as they slept on, enjoying togetherness.

Oswald kept his word. Next morning, he personally registered Thorne's birth, and when he contacted River, she confirmed she had got his message, and had sent over paperwork stating she had attended the birth. Herbert had already sent over a copy of all Thorne's medical records. He was half human and half whatever the Re Agent had made him into but apart from that, young Thorne was very much a child, who had a loving home and now, he was legally registered as born in Gotham City a year before.

Then Oswald went back home, and back to bed with Julian. It was the weekend, and they intended to take their baby making very seriously and put in long hours, too. Molly had gone downstairs and made breakfast for the kids, and then she had gone out to the garden, to find Shepard sitting alone at the table, on the patio in his wheelchair.

“Do you like it here?” she asked as she placed coffee on the table.

“You have a lovely home and family, Molly,” he said with a smile, “I was just thinking how I wish I had done everything differently when Julian was young... I have so many regrets.”

She saw it in his eyes, he meant that.

“Then don't think back,” she told him as she sat there and the kids played in the garden a short distance away, “Think about here and now. Make the most of today and look forward to tomorrow.”

“I have plenty of tomorrows to do that,” Shepard told her as he sipped his coffee and set it down again, “I was revived with Re Agent. Like Herbert, I will never age. I will live on for many years to come, now and then topping up my dose of Re Agent with a shot to keep me from decay – but you can be sure I wont be shooting it up for thrill like my brother does. And unlike Herbert, there's no chance of me having any Re Agent affected kids to worry about. It's not just my legs that don't work, if you see what I mean. My chance of companionship is over. A life without love and sex, I can manage without the sex, but the loneliness gets to me already.”

Molly reached across the table, briefly touching his hand.

“Don't think like that,” she told him, “Herbert brought you back. Bane had snapped your neck. You're lucky to be here, don't think about what's gone, think about what you can still do!”

Her kindness had overwhelmed him as he blinked away tears.

“ _I...”_ he looked away, trying to distract himself by the birdsong in the trees, or the kids as they laughed in the nearby garden, but nothing could stop his confession coming out as he looked back at Molly.

“ _I had an affair with Amy!_ Can you believe that? I can't even make love to a woman, yet I became romantically involved with her! My brother's wife! I can't forgive myself for it. I think Herbert's right about me. I'm poison.”

“No you're not,” Molly told him, “If you were poison Julian wouldn't have let you into his heart or his life - and you wouldn't be anywhere near our family! He knows you've changed. And we don't choose who we fall in love with, Shep. You can't be too hard on yourself for wanting companionship. And maybe, in the future, you'll meet someone who doesn't care about no sex life. It's not everyone's top priority!”

“I find that hard to believe, Molly – coming from Mrs Cobblepot, wife to Oswald _and_ my adopted son. You three must have a wonderful time together! Sorry, I didn't mean to be personal – but you see what I mean, comparing what Julian has, to what I have. What I can _never_ have.”

“But you're not Julian,”Molly said, “You need to start forgiving yourself, Shep.”

Sadness reflected in his gaze.

“I'm sure you wouldn't feel that way if life had turned out differently. For example, Oswald would probably want my blood and so would you, if I'd married Oswald's eldest daughter, Doctor River Mooney. Thankfully she's happy with her husband Victor. But imagine, for example, how you would feel if someone like _me_ had married into your family, after all I've done! I don't think either of you would have been so kind or forgiving then, a man like me, with my bad past, becoming a Cobblepot! Think of it that way. I'm not family. I can't be, I'm here because Julian wants me here and Oswald craves forgiveness. Neither of you could ever accept me as real family, Molly.”

“That's not true! Molly exclaimed, “And if you had married river, Ozzie would have had to accept it! Why did you say River, do you like her?” Molly smiled playfully.

Shepard chuckled.

“I was merely making a comparison between family and a guest,” he replied.

“Oh stop it, you're welcome here!” Molly insisted, “And as far as the past is concerned, don't look back, the past is gone! Start living for today, and all those tomorrows you have thanks to the Re Agent. Twenty years from now you'll still look not a day over fifty.”

He chuckled.

“I was looking good for my age when Bane killed me.”

“And now you're frozen like that,” she told him, “That's got to be a positive!”

Shepard smiled.

“You're right about that, Molly,” he agreed, and then he drank his coffee as Molly sat with him on the patio, enjoying the weekend sunshine.

Oswald didn't get up until almost mid day. Julian went downstairs with him and both of them had that glow about them that told Molly they had certainly made the most of their morning in bed. While Oswald went off to the front room to relax before going to the study to handle some paperwork, Julian went outside to sit with his father. Shepard looked deep in thought, but he smiled warmly as Julian joined him.

“It's so peaceful out here,” he said, “Gives me a lot of time to think, too... you've got a look about you, Julian I think that's happiness?”

Julian was positively glowing as he sat there at the table with his father and smiled.

“I'm trying for a baby with Oswald. He's got an implant.”

Shepard blinked, surprise registering in his gaze.

“Julian, Oswald may look young, I don't know how he does it – he looks half his age - but that man is in his sixties! Is it even _safe_ for him to have an implant?”

“He's physically thirty four years old,” he replied, “He had an age reversal treatment. I can't say how, let's just call it experimental,” he said no more on Lucy's abilities, not because he didn't trust him, but because he wanted her gifts to be a complete secret between her parents only. That girl had such power he was still afraid for her sometimes when he thought about the future.

“Oswald really is as young as he looks,” he assured him, “And there's no reason why he can't have a baby. I carried Gertie for him, now he's got his youth back, he wants to know what it feels like to be a birth father.”

Shepard paused for thought, hoping what he said would not be taken badly.

“Julian,” he leaned closer to him, lowering his voice, “I'm only saying this because I'm trying to be a good father as opposed to the lousy one I used to be..... You left him recently, him and Molly. Are you sure you want to do this? What if you break up again?”

“We won't,” Julian assured him, “It's all okay now. Our marriage is for life, Dad. Don't worry about that.”

Shepard thought about it some more and smiled as he shook his head.

“I don't know that I would have ever entertained the thought of carrying a child,” he said, “I guess it's just not for me – I always wanted your mother to carry my child, but she couldn't have kids, so we adopted you. And I'll never regret that – I only regret I wasn't a better father.”

“Stop that,” Julian said, reaching for him and pulling him into a brief hug, “We've got years ahead to make up for the past.”

“You're right,” Shepard agreed, and then he smiled as he thought of Oswald in his fine suit, one hand on a heavy belly as he went to gang leaders meetings.

“I think Oswald will be in for quite a shock when he finds out what it's like to have baby inside that implant! I remember you told me about your experience carrying Gertie.”

“Sadly it wasn't long enough,” Julian replied, “I lost the unit early in the pregnancy, but those implants are tough, babies can survive in them and grow to full term in lab conditions. So she was safe, but I never got to give birth at full term. I wish I had, but when I look back, I remember how painful it was. I'd never do it again.”

“Does Oswald know that?”

Julian hesitated.

“He knows it was rough on me. But I had complications.”

“What if he has complications, Julian?”

Shepard was genuinely concerned now as he thought about this technology that so many trusted and claimed to be safe. Julian's experience had been anything but safe...

“Oswald knows what he's doing, don't worry,” Julian replied, “Soon he'll have my baby in there. Nothing will go wrong.”

 _But it did for you_ , Shepard thought silently, but held back on saying it as he hoped Julian was right to have such confidence in Oswald's plan.

“I hope it all works out for you,” he told him, “But I may not be here to see it. As much as I know I'm welcome here, I am just your adopted father and I'm not even blood, yet Oswald is making me welcome in his home. And I appreciate that, Julian. But I have my own money and I should be thinking about buying an apartment in the city.”

Julian looked at him in alarm.

“No, I want you here with us!”

“And I need to be independent. I've spent a long time as a fugitive, and now Oswald has changed that for me, I want to get used to my new life. I need to be able to live alone, to get used to life stuck in this chair. I still want to put something back into this city, to thank Oswald for helping me out. I want to start up the Lambrick healthcare scheme that Oswald suggested. I'm wealthy, I'm a free man, and I have a new start. We can still see each other, but I need to make the most of the fact that the Re Agent in my veins means I'll live a long life and never age. I won't spend this new time I have badly - and I certainly wont waste it.”

Julian had taken in all he said. He nodded, agreeing entirely with his father's plan. He didn't want him to go, but living elsewhere didn't change their new relationship. It just meant his father wanted to do some good in this city, and that was a sure sign his changes for the better were serious and permanent.

Soon after, Julian went off to the study to find Oswald, to mention Shepard's future plans. If his father wanted to set up that business, he knew Ozzie would be more than happy to help him do it.

The garden had become Shepard's favourite place while he stayed at the Cobblepot mansion. As the days went by, Oswald was happy to help him set the wheels in motion to start up his business plans, for the good of the city. Shepard had started to look for an apartment, and Julian still wished he would stay, but was happy to see his Dad getting on with his life and making plans for the future. Herbert and Amy were getting on with life, too. Now Thorne was no longer a secret, he was out and about in a stroller, and had started to meet other kids – at a distance, until they were sure his biting was under control. The more he mixed with people, the more friendly he became. He had even come over to the mansion and it had been a huge relief for Herbert and Amy to hear Felix and Luna say the little boy was strange, but cute. _Keep your hands and fingers away from his mouth,_ Molly had reminded them discreetly.

Life was going well, Julian was spending every possible moment with Oswald, who was frustrated to find he was not pregnant yet. That was the only reason Oswald had to complain. The underworld was peaceful, there was no trouble in the city and Cain had taken on more of a role at meetings now, and while many found him to be obnoxious as a person, his dealings were carefully thought out and his management of the businesses Oswald had handed him were good.

As the weather stayed warm, Shepard was still in the habit of enjoying the garden while he sat outside on the patio on warm evenings, entirely in his own company. He still missed Amy, but accepted that she belonged with Herbert. They were happy now, and would stay that way and he had no business trying to change that. Shepard had resigned himself to a lifetime alone. He already knew he would never again be a lover to anyone, his sex life was over. No one would want a loveless marriage, and he had accepted that, deciding to put his time and efforts into work plans, looking to the future. That evening as he sat there looking at luxury apartments, his thoughts were not on what he saw on the lap top screen as he sat alone at the table on the patio. It was on his mind again, this future he was planning for, a future spent alone. In that moment, he felt the pain of the loneliness he guessed he deserved, after a lifetime of mistakes. Now he was destined to spend many, many years never ageing, stuck in this chair, alone with no hope of ever finding someone to share those years with. Maybe he deserved it, he decided, Bane had snapped his neck and Herbert had brought him back to live out a long life in a damaged body. He knew he shouldn't see it that way, it was a second chance. But he did see it that way as he sat alone .And then suddenly, a woman popped up playfully from behind his open laptop on the other side of the table.

He stared at her.

She smiled at him. She was sitting there at the table in a floral dress, she was tall and slender and her blonde hair fell to her shoulders. She looked to be around twenty five, and her eyes sparkled in a shade that reminded him strangely of Julian.

“Peek a boo!” she said, and giggled.

Shepard blinked.

“I don't believe we've met... “

“I'm...” she paused, leaned forward, pushed a glass of lemonade in front of her and slurped it nosily, “You can call me … um...Alyssa?”

“Are you a friend of Molly's?” he asked.

“Sort of,” the young woman replied, and then she leaned back in her chair and smiled, “You'll see the apartment you want tomorrow. It's really close the building Oswald's getting you for the new business plan.”

“You sound very sure about that!” Shepard said in surprise.

“Well...” she leaned on the table, lowering her voice, “I am sure because I _know_ the future! And you don't have to be sad about being on your own. It's a lot of years to wait, but it's not forever. And you know how River is getting an award for her work to mend stuff inside people? I don't know all about it,” she paused, “But it's something to do with making stuff better when it's broken. Ten years from now, it can help you. The tiny needles in your neck will hurt, but walking with a cane isn't so bad Oswald, does it all the time!”

Shepard stared at her, fascinated by the strange woman who had suddenly joined him and now made wild predictions.

“How can you know all this?”

She smiled brightly.

“I'm a grown up,” she confided, as if it was a secret, and then she flipped her hair off her shoulder and looked at him thoughtfully.

“Don't worry,” she said, “You won't be on your own. But it's a lot of years before you see her again... not that you've met her _now_ , I mean, just believe me...”

Shepard looked at her in confusion. She looked back at him and smiled again.

“Don't be sad about the past,” she added, “The future will make up for that. You know your brother's little boy?”

“Thorne?”

She nodded.

“That's him. He's going to be my best friend when he's sixteen, he's going to be so clever, he can do cool stuff.”

Shepard was utterly confused as he wondered why this twenty something woman was talking about Thorne, Herbert's one year old son, as if she already knew him as an adult.

“Thorne's a baby.”

“For now,” she replied, “And its a lot of years before....” she paused, stuck for the right words, and then she smiled, “You're going to be a good person. And the lady you marry will think of you as her prince. Make sure you get her a big diamond ring because she likes things that shine! You're a nice person. That's why she marries you. And there's no issues about the family ties thing because there's no blood relations. You _adopted_ Julian...”

“What are you talking about?” Shepard asked.

She shrugged, then finished her lemonade and got up.

“See you in fifteen years, Shep,” she told him, and then she got up and turned around and walked away as Shepard stared at the sight of the young woman who skipped across the lawn. Then she was gone, as he wondered who she was and how she knew his name, and why she had made such predictions about the future. Then he got back to the task of looking through apartments, but didn't find anything that evening. He would find the perfect place in the morning, just as she predicted...

Once back in the house, the woman who claimed to be named Alyssa climbed the stairs carefully, taking care to avoid the creaky board on the fourth step, then she darted up and dashed along the hallway, and into her room. Then she closed the door and told herself to be smaller, as Molly's stolen dress swamped her, and nine year old Lucy Lambrick giggled at the thought of what she had just done. But she had to say something to him, because Shepard was moving out soon and she wouldn't see him again for fifteen years and when she did, she wouldn't have to use her gift to be older, because she would already be a real grown up. And then she would meet him again, because Shepard was the man she knew she would marry.

He was the man who put the diamond on her finger before she and grown up Thorne saved the city. It was all to come to pass many years from now, but Lucy understood her gift to see the future, and hoped her advice would help Shepard to go on with his life and do well, because by the time they met again when she was a grown up, he would be respected in the city, and working alongside Daddy Oz. He wouldn't be sad about the past any more, he would be proud of all the good he had done with his new life...

Lucy thought on all these things as she got ready for bed, then she climbed into bed and turned out her light, and then she remembered her mother's stolen dress and shoved it quickly under the bed, because she wasn't supposed to be a grown up yet. And she wouldn't be again, not until she was older, when her gift didn't need to age her, but that was fifteen years away and Lucy was content to wait for many years, she was happy to be a kid - but all the same, it was nice to know how the future would turn out...

As she went to sleep, another glimpse of the future slipped through her powerful mind, and it made her smile:

He was fifteen years old, in jeans and a white shirt that was partially open in the heat of summer and he ran like the wind as her Daddy yelled at him, _Don't you take the damned bike!_ Moments later he was on that motor bike as Julian yelled again, and he rode off heading for the city, his fair hair blowing back in the wind as he took to the highway, weaving around traffic. It was something to do with the explosion she and Thorne would one day prevent and he wasn't scared, but that was Anthony, her little brother. He wasn't scared of anything.

_He wasn't even born yet._

_But Daddy Oz would be pregnant soon..._

It took another ten weeks for Oswald's home test to show a positive result.

By now Shepard had moved out and was settling into his apartment, and making plans to start up his business with full underworld approval. Herbert and Amy had indeed mended their marriage, and everyone had moved on with their lives well. Little Thorne was becoming more and more sociable, and learning rapidly, too. Lucy often visited him, and when ever she saw him she would whisper, _Hurry up and grow, Thorne... I'll need your help one day!_

Oswald had watched as the test had showed a positive result, and then he had showed it to Molly and Julian as tears filled his eyes.

“We've done it!” he said joyfully, and Molly smiled as she watched Ozzie and Julian a hug, then kiss, as Oswald said this would be the greatest adventure of his life.

Hours later, Oswald was puking into the toilet as he clutched at the bowl and his face turned pale. Julian helped him up and helped him to clean up, and then as Oswald put a hand on Julian's arm to steady himself, he looked at him in alarm.

“Julian, I need to fix these symptoms! I have business meetings, I have underworld matters to attend to – and a few months from now, I have to take the private jet over the border to sign documents linked to the enquiry, I can not have pregnancy symptoms getting in the way of it!”

Julian stared at him.

“But Oz, you're pregnant.”

“By cutting edge technology, there must be a way to control it!” he insisted.

Julian looked at him in confusion and then shook his head. Oswald had assumed these implants, that he saw as new and clever because they had not been available in his youth the first time around, meant a symptom free pregnancy... _it didn't._

“No, Oswald. I had a pretty good time with my implant until I had the complications – which are rare. But your symptoms are normal. Expect everything a woman gets with an organic pregnancy, because the hormones work the same way,” he said, and then he left the bathroom as Oswald stood there, eyes wide as he realised this tech wasn't as smart as he assumed – he was going to have morning sickness and tiredness!

“ _But I'm the head of the underworld!”_ He exclaimed, as the realisation sunk in that the next nine months would _not_ be as easy as he had first assumed...


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

_The months went by._

Oswald got bigger.

By now he and Julian had been told Oswald was carrying a boy, and he was healthy and growing as he should and there were no complications.

But Oswald felt there were many complications... for him.

“How am I supposed to carry on as usual, I'm getting fat, I'm throwing up and I'm always tired!” he snapped, limping across the front room in a three piece suit that had been designed to allowed for his growing bump. He placed a hand on his round belly to cup the weight of it as he sat down, and then looked to Molly with an expression that suggested he was sulking, and she couldn't help but smile.

“You're not always throwing up,” she said as she sat beside him on the sofa, “You didn't throw up at the latest gang leader's meeting...”

“No I did not!” Oswald said as his face flushed with embarrassment, “I _projectile vomited_ like the girl from the Exorcist, all over a senior gang leader across the other side of the table!”

“And that's what you get for being six months pregnant and deciding to eat a fried breakfast,” Molly reminded him, “Sometimes the baby moves about and squashes your stomach. When you can't eat a lot, don't force it, because it will come straight back up!”

Oswald was still sulking as he placed a hand on his baby bump.

“I thought this would be fun, but clearly it is not!”

Molly laughed.

“Ozzie, we've had Cain, Luna and Felix together – and I've had Lucy by Julian! Four kids... and you think MY pregnancies were fun?”

Oswald shrugged.

“I assumed you enjoyed them. You always seemed happy enough – apart from the throwing up early in the pregnancy. I thought _that_ is supposed to stop!”

“It's worse for guys because of the position of the implant,” she reminded him, “Oswald, when Julian had Gertie, did you not read any of the information about fertility units?”

“I read about the implantation and the growth stages. But Julian miscarried the unit and she was born months later after laboratory support – that's hardly a male birth I would know much about! And I asked Julian what it feels like to give birth and he said it was agony.”

Worry reflected in his ice blue eyes.

“Julian lost the implant early on, and when that happens it swells up to protect the baby, it doesn't leak any fluids to help the birth father open up,” Molly reminded him, “Julian had a rough time. It's not like that for most guys. It's very painful, but usually over with very quickly.”

“Molly...” Oswald turned his head, looking into her eyes as his hand closed over hers, “Would it sound ridiculous to say I'm scared?”

“No!” Molly exclaimed, “Oh my god, Ozzie – of course you should be a bit scared, you've never done this before! I've had four kids and birth scared me every time, it bloody hurts!”

Oswald managed a nervous smile.

“Thank you for your honesty my dear, but I was hoping for more reassurance!”

“You'll get through it,” Molly promised him, “You've got your birth plan, and me and Julian will be with you, and it's going to be over with quickly. Guys usually have short labour. And apart from a very bruised ass, you probably won't need an intervention like cuts or stitches -”

“Stop now, that's enough, I _don't_ want to think about it!” Oswald was breaking into a sweat as he looked to the cabinet across the room, wishing he could still drink alcohol because he needed shot of something strong to settle his nerves, “Let's not talk about complications.”

“Okay,” she replied, and she sat there quietly, holding his hand as Oswald perspired anxiously.

“I have to take a flight to the mainland two days before the baby is due,” he reminded her, “I'm required at a meeting to sign papers connected to the war enquiry. It's scheduled and I can't change it because it's not on Gotham soil. I'll be nine months pregnant!”

“Then ask them to send the papers over!”

“I can't, Molly. I'm required to be there, the literal signing and sealing of the official documents, closing the matter forever more. But I don't doubt little Anthony will understand,” he looked down at his belly as he gave it a pat and then smiled as he felt the baby move, “He's going to be an underworld man, he knows he can't just pop out of me while I have business to attend to.”

Molly stared at him.

“You actually think that kid inside you will hold off being born because you have a _meeting_ to attend?”

“Of course he will, he understands!”

Oswald smiled fondly.

Molly just stared at him.

“Ozzie, babies come when they're ready. Not always on the due date and certainly not to your work schedule!”

“But he's different, he's MY baby,” Oswald told her, “He understands, he's heard me talk all about business.”

“He's not born yet,” Molly said, giving a weary sigh, “Ozzie, you should send Jax Sterling to sign on your behalf, he's your senior General, you have the power to do that! Or our Cain, he could do it!”

“No, Molly, I shall be there,” Oswald vowed as he kept his hand on his belly and felt his son move again, “And as soon as the meeting is done, I shall be on the jet and on my way back to Gotham and then Anthony Cobblepot will pop out on schedule, I know it.”

“I doubt it!” Molly said.

As Julian entered the room, he looked at Ozzie and smiled fondly. He was sure he had never looked so good, sitting there in his costly suit with his belly heavy with a baby – his baby.

“I love your bump,” he said as he sat beside him and kissed his belly, “You look like you've got a beach ball in there!”

“Thank you for making me feel _fat_ , Julian!” Oswald huffed, and Julian laughed as Molly smiled.

“You might be a little bit chubby after the baby comes,” Molly reminded him.

“I hope not!” Oswald exclaimed, “I'm young, I have my youth and health back and I intend to get my body back in shape right after the birth!”

“That might not happen,” Molly replied, “My hips are four inches wider, they got bigger with each baby!”

“Not me, I'm naturally slim and athletic,” Oswald replied.

“Not any more!” Julian said, “Once the baby's out, you'll have a chubby body, at least for a while.”

“ _No, I will not!”_

Julian placed a hand on his cheek, catching him in his gaze as Oswald looked sharply at him, and then he leaned in and kissed him softly.

“Ozzie, why don't you just enjoy this?”

Oswald couldn't help but be blatantly honest as he gave his reply.

“Because this is not fun. I thought it would be an enjoyable experience and it's not. I feel tired, I worry too much and I'm getting fat!”

“It's not forever,” Molly reminded him.

Oswald leaned back against the sofa as his back ached.

“And I thought the chest injections would be easy – but they hurt! I only got through it because I want to breast feed! I've got milk already and it stains my shirts! At least my chest looks like nothing has changed, except my nipples are like cherries and they're sore!”

Julian couldn't help but chuckle on hearing that.

“Oswald, you have to have the shots to make the milk three months before the baby comes. That ensures enough milk flow for six months after the birth. You even get to feed your baby, think about this, it's wonderful!”

“And it's painful and sore and leaky,” Oswald said.

“And that's the reality of being a birth father,” Molly reminded him, “And it's all going to be worth it, we promise!”

“Molly's right,” Julian added as he slid his hand behind Oswald's back, giving it a rub.

Oswald was still sulking.

“I'm never doing this again!” he vowed.

Jax and Josh had been busy.

That was how Josh thought of it.

He would go home to Selina and say, _it was busy today, a lot to do at work..._

In reality, Jax Sterling had just looked in annoyance at the small blood spatter on the cuff of his shirt, then tucked it out of sight, maintaining a smart appearance as Josh fired off his gun and another bound enemy of the Unity Pact fell forward dead from a shot to the back of the head. Jax finished off the final bound and blindfolded man, and then as they holstered their guns, Jax looked back at the bloody mess in the warehouse:

Ten men, all members of the anti unity pact movement named _Chaos_ had just been executed. Their guns and explosives had been seized by the GCPD, who had stood aside to let their underworld brothers handle the traitors. Chaos was known to be a small movement, hell bent on destroying the pact between the cops and the underworld, and lately their numbers had slowly been growing. Thanks to the pact that kept the city mostly under control, cops and underworld alike had worked together to root out the terrorists, said to have come from followers of Bane, back in wartime, who had no interest in destroying the pact so the city could be unified with the mainland, instead they literally wanted chaos. They opposed the unity pact and Gotham's independence as a nation. They were potentially a big threat, one day, if they were not rooted out now... Today had seen a good result. Ten of them were taken out. And the weapons haul had been alarmingly huge...

“Get rid of the bodies,” Josh ordered to men who stood watch, then he and Josh walked out of the warehouse and into the sunlight, where clouds had shifted away early and the rain had stopped and for once, it was a bright and fresh day with no grey clouds lingering, a total contrast to the darkness and gloom and horror of the executions. But Josh knew when he went home, it would be just another day. He had learned to take a tip from Jax long ago on these matters:

_Wash off the blood, go home and be a family man. Leave work at work, never take it home with you..._

“Are you attending the event at City Hall tonight?” Jax asked.

“No, I'm staying in with Selina,” Josh replied, “After a day like this one, I want family time.”

“I shall be attending the ceremony to honour River's latest award for her achievements,” Jax replied, “I'm not working tonight, it's a social occasion. Did Oswald not invite you?”

“He did,” Josh replied as they headed to the car, “But we've been killing people today, Jax! I need to go home and just be husband to Selina and Daddy to the kids and lover to Ivy. I need to shake the day off.”

Jax glanced down at the stain on his cuff.

“And I need to get blood out of this shirt!” he exclaimed, “Carol has something to soak it in, she's great with stain remover.”

“I don't take bloodstains home,” Josh replied, “I never will.”

The two men got into the car and drove away, leaving the scene of the execution behind as they both looked forward to time and space away from the darker side of underworld life.

Oswald had not felt like going anywhere, but he had showed up along with many underworld and GCPD representatives as the evening to honour River's work went ahead. Jax and Carol sat together at the same table as Oswald, Molly and Julian, and over the other side of the room, James Gordon and others representing the city sat together. Fish and Victor were on the table next to Oswald, and the rest of the audience was made up of the most important people in Gotham society, including Bruce Wayne. The event was being filmed and sent out around the city and beyond, and when River stepped up to accept her award after a long speech by the current mayor about her achievements developing healing agents to repair nerve damage, she had her speech ready.

“Thank you for this award,” she said as she stood there in a dark pinstripe suit, smiling as he monocle caught the light, “It means a lot that it was given not just by the city but handed to me also by those on the mainland and far beyond it. I'm also thankful for the support of my husband Victor and my family, and I will say this to you now...” River looked into the camera, _“This award is proof that hard work pays off and anyone with will and ability can make a contribution to society that will become recognised. I'm not just talking as a woman who has made her way in a male dominated field of research, I'm talking as daughter of Oswald Cobblepot, head of the underworld, as the daughter of Fish Mooney, who also once ran this city many years ago, in addition, I am a child of the underworld - I trained under the controversial scientist Hugo Strange and firstly and most importantly, I am a daughter of Gotham City who believes in the unity pact and our independent nation! And to know I have been recognised not only here but beyond our shores is a sure sign that our people have earned the respect of the world!”_

The last part of her speech was almost drowned out by applause. Victor stood up as he clapped and she smiled, catching his eye as she conveyed a look that thanked her husband for all the years he had stuck by her, believing in her, encouraging her, and always supporting her work. Oswald stayed for another half hour, long enough to congratulate his daughter and have pictures with her, and then he told Molly and Julian he wanted to go home – being pregnant was tiring, and he wanted to go to bed.

“Poor Dad's not enjoying being pregnant,” River said as she watched Julian put an arm around tired Oswald and lead him towards the exit, where a car was waiting around the back.

“It's all going to be worth it when the baby comes, we keep reminding him of that,” Molly told her, and then she hugged her and congratulated her again, before leaving to catch up with Ozzie and Julian.

The ride home in the limo was quiet. Molly had tried to speak about how great this night had been for River, but Oswald had simply nodded and said no more, then after the car had hit the highway and they were halfway home, Molly had watched as Julian placed a hand on Oswald's knee and then he spoke quietly.

”What's wrong?”

Oswald had turned his head, met his gaze and then Molly had realised why the ride had been so quiet:

Ozzie was tearful?

“Talk to me,” Julian said softly.

Molly was far more direct. Her Ozzie was in tears, sitting there looking pale and upset, and she wanted to know why.

“Ozzie, what the fuck is wrong?” she said in alarm.

Oswald shook his head, blinked away tears and managed to find his voice.

“Nothing. Must be the hormones. I really do need an early night.”

Then he looked to the window and said no more as the limo drove through the darkness, heading back to the Cobblepot mansion.

Once they arrived home, Oswald again insisted he was fine – a little too strongly, and it sounded more like an excuse as he went up the stairs alone, as Molly and Julian stood there watching him go up as quick as he could with a limp and heavily pregnant.

“I'll go,” Molly offered, “He seems emotional tonight.”

“No, let me handle this,” Julian insisted, “Maybe it is the hormones. Those units can cause a lot of issues – including overloads of emotion. I've carried one, I know what he's going through. I'll go and talk to him.”

Then Julian went upstairs alone and Molly decided to let Julian handle this because he was right – he had also carried an implant, and if it was the unit that was affecting his emotions, Julian did understand what Ozzie was going through and at that moment, was probably the best person to talk to about it. She took off her shoes and went through to the front room, unaware that a huge quarrel was about to erupt that would uncover a _very_ shocking confession...

Julian went into the bedroom and closed the door.

“Talk to me, Ozzie. I know how it feels, these implants can make you tired, emotional. I've been through it, I understand. Just talk to me about it.”

Oswald stood there by the window, his face reflected in the glass made dark by the night sky as a tear ran down his face. He had laid his cane aside and had one hand on the baby bump as he looked at his image reflected his once again youthful body, and that belly that was growing every day. He looked away from it, unable to bear the sight as he turned from the window and faced Julian.

“Actually, you don't understand,” Oswald stated, and as he stood there, he thought of every grand scheme he had ever dreamed up, ruthless, clever, flawless – and he shook his head.

“ _Oh Julian, I have a confession to make!”_

Julian just looked back at him in confusion.

“Oswald, if you're upset or worried or nervous, I _do_ understand! You've got to share these things, you can't carry that alone. It's hard, using an implant.”

Oswald's eyes widened as he met his gaze, nodding in agreement as ice blue met Julian's shade of Hazel.

“ _Oh yes, it's especially hard for me,”_ Oswald said, limping closer to him, _“Because you see, my sweet Julian, I did this to make you come back to me!”_ Oswald's composure began to crumble as the confession came out, “I'm sorry, but I knew if we had a baby you would come back to my arms! That's the _only_ reason I had the implant – because you wouldn't carry another child after you lost your implant, you said you could never go through that again!” Oswald's eyes shone with desperation as he looked at Julian, “I did this to bring you back to me! And now I'm carrying a child and it never should have happened, I was hoping the implant would fail! I'm a father, I would love another child by you or by Molly – but me, carrying a baby?” tears of fear and anger filled his eyes, _“I am a father, NOT a birth father!”_

As he gave a sob, Julian stared at him.

“You got pregnant just to keep me with you? Ozzie, are you insane?”

Oswald nodded tearfully, not failing to see the irony in that remark.

“I have a very old certificate somewhere, stating that I am perfectly sane - but I'm pretty sure it was bullshit at the time and nothing has changed since!” then he sobbed, “I knew when I had the implant I'm not a birth father! My body disgusts me, this pregnancy disgusts me, if the baby was growing inside you or Molly, I would be overjoyed... but this - _no_.”

He briefly looked down at his belly and shook his head.

“I'm not a birth father! I just wanted you back and now this _thing_ inside me feels unnatural!”

Julian reached slowly for Oswald, placing a hand on his arm as Oswald stumbled into his embrace, held him tightly and wept with his head against his shoulder. As Julian looked to the doorway he saw Molly standing there, and the look of concern in her eyes matched his own :

She had just heard it all. Oswald, desperate to win Julian back, had used his new found youthfulness to qualify for an implant – and now Julian was back, he had what he wanted, except he _didn't_ want to be pregnant. He never had, he had simply wanted the three of them together again...

“It's okay, Ozzie,” Molly said quietly, and she joined them, hugging them both as she and Julian said no more and Oswald wept.

They both knew how desperate he had been, and what a crazy plan he had hatched to get his own way – Oswald was a proud father, but not a birth father. He was going through an experience he detested that for him, was not right. He was at risk of breakdown, post birth depression, even rejecting his baby when it was born. It was psychologically dangerous and the rules on who should carry implants were clear : _Only men who wanted to be birth fathers should have them._ And Oswald had lied to get one, to bring Julian home. Now the three of them were in a huge mess, with Oswald pregnant with a baby he had never wanted to carry in the first place...

They talked into the night.

“Maybe you could have the unit transferred to to Julian, or to me?” Molly said as she stood by the window, looking to the bed where Ozzie sat with Julian beside him. Julian was holding his hand as Oswald tried not to shed more tears. It was now gone one am and the three of them would stay up all night if they had to, if that was what it took to talk their way through this and find a solution.

“No, you can't carry that unit and either can I,” Julian said as he looked over at Molly, “Unit transfer can only be done in the first trimester. He's over six months gone by now. He has to see this through and give birth at full term. Ozzie, _why_ would you do this to yourself?”

As he asked that question, Oswald's eyes were red from crying as he looked regretfully at Julian.

“ _I was willing to do anything to win you back!”_

“And fuck up your own mind in the process? Ozzie, you're a father – not a _birth_ father! If you knew this was wrong for you, why the fuck do it? _I would have come back to you anyway, I knew I still loved you!_ ”

Julian had become tearful as he made that confession.

Oswald stared at him.

“So I'm putting myself through this nightmare for nothing?”

“It's over soon,” Julian reminded him as he put his arm around him and pulled him closer.

Oswald rested his head on his shoulder, listening as Julian spoke again.

“Once the baby is here, you'll be fine. Me and Molly can help, Ozzie.”

“ _I don't want to do this!”_ Oswald sobbed, and all he could do was hold him as he and Molly both thought the same thing:

Oswald had taken a crazy gamble, a risk that was unnecessary, and he was paying a heavy price for it now...

The weeks passed.

Oswald's tearful confession had changed everything. He had dropped his act of looking forward to the birth. He was actually terrified. Other times, he tried to fight through the tiredness and the increasing heaviness in his belly as he went about underworld duties, trying to pretend the bump wasn't there. He blocked out all thoughts of the birth and refused to talk about it or prepare for it, saying he had seen Molly give birth and knew what to expect.

“ _It's not the same,”_ Julian muttered, but Oswald chose to pretend not hear that...

Oswald had moments when he felt the child move and fondly placed his hand on his belly, looking down at it as he thought of his son, and then he would speak softly to the baby saying, “It's not me who should be carrying you. I wish it was Molly or Julian. I'm not a birth father. But I am your father, and that's what I will be when you arrive. But I can't be a birth father to you, I don't have this thing they call the male birthing instinct. I really hope I can get through this...”

And that confession always ended in tears as Oswald felt apologetic towards his unborn son, and terrible about not having an instinct that was expected of a man carrying an implant. But he had made the choice and now he had to go through with it – and Oswald regretted that fact, but only because he didn't want to give birth. He knew when the baby was born he would love him as he loved his other children – but as a father, not a _birth_ father...

_Those days passed uneasily._

_Soon, it was two weeks before the baby was due._

Julian had just quarrelled with Ozzy about his plan to take the flight from the mainland two days before the baby's due date, to sign papers linked to the war enquiry. Oswald was determined to go, and the small matter of a full term baby inside him wasn't going to stop him. Molly and Julian both worried about the state of his mind. Julian knew enough from his own past experiences to worry Ozzie could be on the brink of a breakdown, or that he wouldn't bond with the baby as he should. Molly was convinced the two of them would get him through this okay. Julian pointed out Oswald had avoided all mention of childbirth, let alone learned anything about the whole process. But Oswald was the king of the underworld and he would do this his way even if his spouses both knew he was going the wrong way about it, and no one would persuade him otherwise...

Molly was tired of the whole mess. After having four children herself, she knew Oswald never should have gone through something as major as pregnancy if he wasn't sure he wanted to do it. Now she was worried for him and all he did was turn on his side and sleep at the edge of the bed while she and Julian embraced and silently worried together. All because Ozzie had made a desperate decision without thinking it through...

Julian was on the school run and Ozzie was sleeping in late one cloudy spring morning. Molly had just done some laundry, and then she had gone upstairs to the nursery that had been lovingly prepared by Julian for the baby's arrival. Oswald had barely set foot in the room. She had looked at the cot and the mobile that hung above it of smiling baby penguins, and she had smiled as she turned it, thinking about the little boy that would soon be in this room, born into a loving home where money was unlimited and a life of privilege awaited him – but she didn't want that wrecked by Oswald's possible rejection of his own baby...

A knock on the door took her out of those worries, and she went downstairs feeling puzzled – Julian was going out after the school run to pick up last minute stuff for the baby, and Ozzie was still sleeping and wouldn't be up until later this afternoon, as was his habit these days. No one was expected and security always rang through to the house unless a family member had just turned up...

She went downstairs just as another knock sounded, and she opened up the front door expecting to see Iris and Penguin, or maybe her brother Connor and his husband.. but it wasn't family. It was a stranger.

“Hello Mrs Cobblepot,” he said, “I should have come over before... the guys on the gate know me well enough, I worked with your husband on the media spin...” he lowered his voice, “You know, for Shepard Lambrick, the campaign to make him look like a victim, to clean up the war record...”

Molly blinked.

“Oh, right, you must be...”

He held out his hand.

“The media consultant hired by your husband. And what a great deal he cut me, too – permission to stay, a fat pay check and a house over on Merryhills Way – with a swimming pool! Chester Blake, nice to meet you.”

She shook his hand.

Molly smiled as he smiled back.

He was shorter than her, with dark brown hair that fell in waves to the collar of his pale cream suit. He had dark brown eyes and a warm, sparkling way about him that brought to mind that he looked a little playful, but for all the deceit he had spun on the media campaign Ozzie had paid for, he came across as a good bloke. His accent was English, he was well spoken, too. It had just occurred to Molly that she instantly liked this guy, she had warmed to him right away. And his name was Chester, so like Oswald's middle name of Chesterfield... That was a nice coincidence.

“Before I forget, this is for Ozzie's new baby,” he said, and as he reached around to the side of the porch and lifted up a giant teddy bear that almost swamped his short frame as he staggered, Molly laughed.

“Thanks,” she said, taking the bear from him, “Come in, Oswald's still sleeping but I'll let him know you're here when I take him his tea.”

Then Molly invited him inside and he followed her in and and she closed the door.

Oswald was just waking up as Molly set the tea down next to the bed. He raised his head, saw her standing there and as she told him he had a visitor, he just nodded, murmured he would be up soon, and then went back to sleep as she reminded him not to let his tea get cold. If rest was what Ozzie wanted, that was what she would allow him. Oswald had spent a lot of time in bed lately and neither she nor Julian wanted to force him to get up early any more. They both knew he was dreading the coming weeks and the prospect of going through childbirth, but despite this, he was still determined he would take that flight to the mainland less that two weeks from now...

Molly went back downstairs to join Chester, and soon put her worries aside as they talked about his enthusiasm for the city of Gotham.

“It's great here!” Chester said as he sat on the sofa with coffee on the table and Molly sat in Oswald's favourite chair by the fire, “I love how open this city is and how accepting – it's such a liberated place. There's so much acceptance of all things sexual...”

“Are you gay?” Molly asked.

Chester blinked in surprise.

“Me? No, I'm straight – unfortunately. I don't doubt I'm missing out on something, but men are not my preference. And I do think the high number of multiple spouse marriages in this city is rather exciting. Polygamy is a very exciting thought! But I'm a one woman man. Not that I currently have a lady in my life.”

That remark had surprised her.

Molly felt a twinge of guilt, then she brushed it off:

_Why shouldn't she find him attractive?_

If Ozzie wasn't so worked up about the baby, he would be thrilled about that, he would encourage her to mildly flirt with the guy so he could fuck her later and call her his slut wife! There was nothing wrong in acknowledging she fancied Chester. But she didn't show it.

“I should say I'm currently single,” Chester added.

He paused running his fingers through his soft, dark hair.

“I feel a bit awkward about this... I'm on my third divorce. I have twin sons, both grown up, by my first wife, then we broke up – over money, I was earning a lot of it and she wanted to spend it all. I remarried, had a daughter – she's seventeen now. But I strayed, it was my fault, I never should have gone swimming with the au pair! When I say _swimming_ , I mean without clothes and drunk late at night - and my wife arrived home and caught us in the act... literally. So she left me. Then I married again but it didn't last long. That third one was a real train wreck on both sides. I say I'm a one woman man, but more like one woman at a time. I'm not proud of it. I go in with the best intentions and then it goes wrong...I guess I'm too friendly!” then he changed the subject swiftly.

“Enough about all that! I'm so glad Oswald let me stay. I've made my money and his deal was the cherry on the cake,” Chester added, “Now I've got a lovely home, a fat bank account and I live in the world's most exciting city! And Oswald knows if he ever needs my services, all he has to do is pick up the phone...”

He started to talk about working with Oswald, and as she looked at him, Molly was trying to guess his age. Maybe thirty five. He had undeniably good looks. He was cute, sexy and maybe even adorable... his dark brown eyes were alluring, too, switching between expressions that went from puppy dog to playfully cheeky.

“Have you always worked in media?” she asked.

“No,” he replied as he set down his coffee, “When I was nineteen I was scratching around for employment and took a job at the docks... then I managed to get a foot in the door of a newspaper company and that set me on track to the specialist role I have today. Twenty years hard work got me where I am.”

So, he was thirty nine. _I was close to getting it right,_ Molly concluded silently.

“It must be a good life, being the wife of the man who runs the underworld,” he said.

“It is,” Molly agreed, “I've been with Ozzie almost twenty years. We've been married to Julian for ten. The three of us make it work well.”

As she said that, she felt sad that Oswald was so quiet and withdrawn from her and Julian these days, as she hoped that would change once the baby arrived.

Chester paused for thought.

“I hope you don't mind me asking about this, but I recall your husband survived cromine poisoning? I thought that was incurable.”

 _That_ subject brought back a flurry of painful memories as Molly recalled Oswald contracting the industrial disease fourteen years back, a legacy of the time he had been exposed to toxic chemicals in the Gotham river as a young man.

“Ozzie was thirty four when he fell in the river and at the time cromine wasn't banned and pollution was high,” Molly replied, “He was fifty two when he got the cromine poisoning come out in him. It took a lot to cure it, even the city healers can't touch it – but there was someone who could and they...” she paused, thinking how Fish had used the last of her healing gift to save him, “They lost their ability to heal afterwards,” she replied, “It took a combination of a lot of deliberate and accidental agents colliding together and reacting in one person to make that much healing power. An accident of science and nature. Ozzie was lucky, he got cured.”

“He certainly was fortunate,” Chester agreed, “I think Oswald's an exceptional guy. And I don't know how he looks so young! How does he do it, Molly?”

She smiled.

“Good genes and experimental anti ageing meds,” she lied, and Chester accepted that.

“I remember when I worked at the dock,” he added, “There was an accident – a chemical spill...” the sparkle had suddenly left his gaze, “A crate fell, the contents split, a container burst... I was caught up in it. I found out later it was full of cromine. They say it can take decades to come out as poisoning, so far I've been lucky. I'll probably have another twenty years at least, and that's a long time.”

“I'm so sorry to hear about that,” Molly said, “But at least you look well.”

“I am!” he smiled as his eyes sparkled, “So far I'm clear of all trace of poisoning. And I intend to enjoy life now I'm here in the city, I'm going to enjoy life for many years to come!”

 _I hope you do_ , Molly thought silently as she smiled back at him. She had already decided she liked Chester, and knowing he had been exposed to the same toxin as Oswald made her heart ache for him. Chester was optimistic about the future and had no reason not to be – but that toxin would eventually catch up with him. And even Lucy with her gift wouldn't be able to help him, she could never attempt to heal such a toxic substance. Chester was facing a painful death one day.

“Cromine wasn't banned in the UK until the year after I quit the docks,” Chester added, “They banned it much later in the UK. You people in this city are smart, you got rid of it much earlier...” Then he changed the subject as he talked about England, and then she talked about home in Ireland. By three pm, Ozzie was up in his dressing gown and joined them, thanking Chester for his gift and then keen to talk business instead of babies as Molly looked on silently worrying for Oswald as he avoided all mention of the child that was due in less than two weeks, as he tried to pretend the baby in his belly wasn't there at all...


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The days passed by quickly. Oswald was close to his due date and Molly felt uneasy as he put on a long, fur trimmed coat that now hung nicely on his youthful but pregnant frame as he paused by the mirror to check his appearance. Oswald looked in the glass, seeing reflected Molly with a worried look in her eyes and Julian standing there wearing a leather jacket as he waited for him to leave. Molly was staying behind with the kids. She had asked him so many times not to go but he had been determined to do this.

“It's an hour away. A twenty minute flight, then I go to the meeting, sign the papers, return to the plane and we fly back. I'm pretty sure I can still handle business, Molly!”

“I could sign on your behalf,” Julian reminded him.

Oswald turned from the mirror, leaning on his cane and thankful for it too, as his belly felt heavy.

“I _led_ the war enquiry! You know I need to make an appearance this afternoon, if I don't, what does that say about my commitment to it?”

“That you're very committed - but very pregnant?” Julian suggested.

Oswald huffed.

“I am more than capable of this task, Julian!”

“And you really should think twice about this!” Molly reminded him, “What if you go into labour? Do you want a son of Gotham born on the mainland?”

His eyes flashed with a hint of anger at the thought.

“This baby wouldn't dare do such a thing!”

Molly gave a sigh.

“You sound sure about that, Ozzie. I hope you're right!” she glanced at Julian, “Look after him.”

“Always,” Julian assured her as he put his arm around his husband, then Molly watched from the front door as the two of them made their way to the car outside that was waiting to take them to the airport, where Oswald would then take his private jet for a short trip to the mainland.

Molly worried as the afternoon went on. It was a short trip, but Ozzie was heavily pregnant and she knew when she had been that far gone she never would have taken on such a trip. But Oswald had his own way of thinking and handling matters and he wouldn't listen to anyone. But at least he had taken Josh and Jax with him. That made her feel a little easier about the whole thing as the time went by and Molly waited for Oswald to return...

The meeting had gone smoothly, with Oswald signing papers and meeting with officials, then after the pictures were taken, Jax and Josh escorted him back to a waiting car as Julian accompanied them. Oswald felt the first sharp pain cut through his body as the limo drove towards the airport. He gave a gasp, and as the sound of a gush of water filled the air, Josh and Jax looked at each other in alarm.

“Sir?” Jax said, placing a hand on his arm as Oswald went pale and broke into a sweat.

“I'm fine!” he gasped.

“No, you're not, you're in labour!” Josh exclaimed as Oswald shifted position, unable to sit with the painful pressure bearing down on his ass.

The limo driver slowed the car and pulled over, looking into the back.

“Mr Cobblepot, I can take you to the nearest hospital -”

He stopped right there, staring as Josh gasped, realising pregnant, in labour Oswald had just ripped his gun from its holster and waved it in the face of the driver. He gritted his teeth through a contraction.

“ _No son of Gotham will be born on the fucking mainland! Get me to my jet!”_

“But sir, you're about to give birth...” the driver stammered.

Oswald held the gun steady.

“ _DRIIIIIVE!”_ he yelled.

The car took of with a squeal of tires on road surface, heading towards the airport and Oswald's private jet...

It was a nightmare for Jax and Josh. Julian was holding back a lot of panic as they boarded, watching as Oswald entered the jet supported by his Generals. Helping him to sit was impossible, they went through to a lounge area where a couch had seat belts and he laid across it as Josh strapped him in.

“I'm right here,” Julian reminded him, taking a seat beside the couch and putting on his belt, then he reached for his hand as Oswald grabbed it, squeezing hard as he gave a cry of pain.

Jax instructed the pilot to take off and make straight for Gotham City, and then he sat down and put on his belt as the jet made its way up the runway.

By the time they were airborne, Oswald was out of his belt, and his coat, and his jacket and his pants, his tie was off and he was sweating hard as he turned on his side and gave a yell, digging his nails into the fine leather upholstery of the seating.

“You'll be okay, Oswald,” Jax said as he sat at the edge of the couch as Julian knelt on the floor trying to comfort him, “Just push when you're ready.”

“ _NO!”_ Oswald yelled, _“It fucking hurts!”_

“This baby is coming whether you're ready or not,” Josh added, watching as his ass stretched painfully wide as the head crowned and Oswald's body shook with pain.

“I'm _not_ having this baby over the mainland!” Oswald gasped.

“Were in Gotham skies now” Jax told him, “Push, Oswald.”

Oswald pushed and yelled loudly, then gasped for air and pushed again.

“He needs to stop for a moment -” Josh began.

“ _I want this thing out of me!”_ Oswald panted.

He pushed again, hard, yelling as the child slithered out along with the silver skin of the birthing implant. The baby boy cried loud and healthy. Josh was smiling as Jax passed him the child and he wrapped him in Oswald's coat.

“Your son, sir,” said Josh as he handed the baby to Julian, who was weeping tears of joy.

“I am in agony!” Oswald complained, pushing away his hand as Jax cautiously took a look at the damage.

“You tore pretty badly, you'll need stitches,” Jax told him, and then he fetched a towel from the bathroom, folded it and placed it under Oswald to soak up the blood. Oswald sat back against the leather couch, still exhausted and hurting from the birth.

“Hand me a scotch,” he said weakly.

“You can't drink, you're feeding the baby,” Josh reminded him, “Feed him, Oswald, you'll love the experience.”

Oswald shifted position on the seat, reached for his jacket and covered his lower body as best he could.

“Julian also had milk shots, so we could share the feeding. Let him do it! I want ice with that scotch please, Josh.”

Jax gave a small nod. Josh went over to the bar and poured a scotch over ice and handed it to Oswald, who drank it slowly and smiled.

“Oh, how I've missed you!” he said, smiling fondly at the liquid in the glass.

Julian was comfortable in his seat, with his shirt open, the baby at his chest. Now he was glad he had decided they would both take the feeding shots because he had suspected all the long that Ozzie would not want a baby suckling at his chest. He hadn't even wanted to carry the boy in the first place...

“Welcome to the world, Anthony,” Julian said softly as the child with his fair hair and hazel eyes looked up at him, instantly bonding as he fed.

Arriving back at the airport, Oswald was relieved to be on home soil once more. But as Julian placed the baby in his arms he looked a little bewildered, handing him back at once.

“He's here now. _You_ be birth daddy,” was all he said.

Jax had already left the flight with Josh, they were waiting for the ambulance to turn up to take Oswald to the clinic where he would rest over night with the baby. Julian was going with them. Jax figured that was the best way – at least _one_ of those guys wanted to behave like a birth father...

The news broke with style as Ed Nygma made an announcement to the Gotham press next morning, laughing as a shower of blue glitter rained down.

“It's a boy!” he declared, and then as the crowd settled and the glitter sparkled, he gave the rest of the announcement to inform the city that the ruling underworld family had a new son, Anthony Cobblepot, born over the skies of Gotham on Oswald's private jet.

But while the city celebrated the good news, Oswald did not. He spent the next few weeks resting, recovering from his birth injuries, and spending little time with Anthony. When he tried to feed him, he winced in pain and handed the baby back to Julian.

“I'm not feeding him, it hurts!” Oswald said sharply, “I guess that's why some guys say artificial breast milk is a bad idea. But you get along with it, so enjoy. I'm going back to bed.”

Julian patiently cradled his son, then he took him downstairs to sit with the family, because the kids loved the new baby.

Oswald got back on top of the luxurious covers on his four poster bed and settled comfortably, his newspaper folded beside him and his morning tea next to the bed. He ran a hand down his body, strangely missing that bump he used to have, then he shrugged off the thought. He wasn't a birth father. It didn't mean he had no love for his son, it just meant, he loved him as a father, as he loved all his children. It would have been better if Julian had carried the child, but he only had himself to blame for that decision...

As Molly came in, Oswald smiled.

“Have you come to sympathise with me? I'm still sore from the stitches. Everything feels tight. Maybe that kid wrecked my sex life! That'll teach me to pop babies out!”

She hadn't failed to notice the bitterness in his tone as she sat on the edge of the bed.

“Ozzie, you'll feel better soon. Everything takes time to get back to normal and you can't blame a little baby for the way he came into the world! I've had four kids – do you hear me complaining I've got a fanny the size of the Gotham tunnel?”

Oswald chuckled.

“If only you did, Molly! Think how many cocks you could fit in there at the same time! I do believe I just felt mildly aroused. Maybe there's hope after all. I've been feeling dead from the waist down lately. And I do blame childbirth for that.”

“But you do love him?”

His eyes widened.

“Of course I love my son! But Molly, I love him as I love my other children – as a father! I feel no male maternal bond, or what ever its called. Only a fatherly love.”

“And that's okay,” Molly assured him, “He will grow up with you and Julian as his fathers. It won't matter to him, who gave birth to him. And if you're worried about him not having the birth bond with you, I'm here as a mother for him. He won't miss out on anything, love!”

“I can only give him my best,” Oswald replied honestly, “But as a _father_. I am no _birth father_ , Molly. I never will be.”

Molly reached for him and he welcomed her embrace, but as she drew back and their eyes met, he gently pushed her away – just like he had pushed Julian away that morning, but with poor Julian he had been much more blatant, saying, _I'm not in the mood, don't touch me!_

“You've been very distant lately,” Molly said as she looked at him, “And I miss you, Oswald! We used to be so close and now you won't even kiss me!”

Oswald tensed.

“If you want some cock, ask Julian. He seems frustrated these days. I have no wish to engage in sexual activity, please remember I gave birth via an implant that wrecked my body.”

“Oswald, there's nothing wrong with you!” Molly got up and looked down at him as he sat there on the bed, reclining and reaching for his newspaper.

“What a short memory you have, my dear. I was in agony. I don't feel back to normal yet. I certainly have no plans on fucking or being fucked for a very long time. I really don't see what the fuss is about – oh, I see shares in Wayne Enterprises have shot up in value! I'm so glad I made that investment when I did...” he folded the newspaper and carried on reading.

Molly's jaw briefly dropped. She understood it had been hard, giving birth when being a birth father was the last thing he had really wanted, but this was too much...

“ _You selfish, spoiled bastard!”_

He put the paper down sharply and looked at Molly.

“Excuse me?”

“Oswald, you _plotted_ this pregnancy – or at least to carry the implant – to get Julian to come back! You didn't tell anyone you had no intention of getting pregnant, and when the unit did its job you acted like you wanted sympathy when all this is _your_ fault! Now there's a baby in this house, your son – and you barely see him! You leave Julian to do everything for Anthony! It's not fair! I love that child like my own, and I don't mind spending time with him but you're his father, even if you don't feel the way a birth father should feel, he's still your son!”

“And I am a father to him, Molly,” Oswald replied stiffly, “Don't expect me to be anything else – I am not a birth father!”

Then he opened up his paper, using it to shield his view from her angry glare.

The atmosphere remained frosty.

Julian didn't give up trying to get closer to Oswald, who kept on refusing his advances and shows of affection. Molly felt pushed away too, and she and Julian spent more time together, sharing the task of taking care of Anthony. Oswald spent time with the kids as he always did, after business meetings and on days when he didn't have to bury himself in work at the office or at home in the study. When his son cried he felt his milk run and then silently cursed the process for ruining yet another shirt. He left the feeding to Julian. But he did go to the nursery and lift his baby son into his arms and rock him to sleep as he talked quietly about how one day, he would be an underworld man, just like his father... And he did love his son, he loved him very much. But he felt traumatised by the ordeal of giving birth – something that had not been a part of the plan when simply using a fertility implant to lure Julian back home had been a plan with nothing more to it than a reunion...

As time passed, Molly and Julian both noticed Oswald spent a little more time with his baby son, holding him and changing him and bathing him. But he always left the feeding to Julian. Oswald's milk dried up quickly, and he was glad it was gone. And he still didn't want to have sex with either of his spouses, and they both felt the loss of their former closeness, as Oswald stayed cold to both of them.

Molly was feeling very alone one morning in late spring when Oswald was working and Julian was busy with the kids. She was thinking back to a time when it had just been her and Ozzie, and Cain had been young. But those memories were marred by the memory of the cromine poisoning, and Ozzie sick and possibly dying whilst locked away in Blackgate over the car bombing that had killed the villainous mayor who had plans to dismantle the unity pact. And that had led to her Ozzie pushed into an affair with Beth Crane. Who was now dead and didn't matter and would never get her hands on Oswald again, but she still hated the memory of all of that terrible time. But nothing eclipsed the horror she had felt – and still relived when triggered – of the days before their marriage, when Velaska had abducted Oswald and she had found him, almost dead. Life with Ozzie had been wonderful but the dark moments had been deep and heavy shaded as pitch. And now when life should be wonderful he was pushing her away, and Julian, too. The three of them had been so close and Oswald's bad choice to carry an implant he never should have used had turned him cold against the pair of them, wanting no more of the closeness and the thrills and the sensual and lustful fun the three of them used to share. It felt like such a loss, to go from such closeness and joy to such separation...

As she stood there by the open window, she was still lost in her thoughts as she heard Lucy call her name and she turned from the window to see her daughter had entered the bedroom, and Julian was with her.

“Lucy wants to tell us something,” he said as they walked over to join her.

“What have you done now?” Molly asked, “Have you been fighting with Felix again? Or have you lost your homework for the third time?”

Lucy stood there for a moment, saying nothing. Then she took Julian's hand then reached for Molly's.

“Mom,” she finally said, “And Dad,” she glanced to Julian, “Daddy Oz is a lot younger now. So it's your turn, so you're not old when Anthony grows up.”

“What?” Molly said in alarm, and then she felt warmth pass from her daughter's hand, spreading through her body. She heard Julian gasp and he staggered back, but they were still holding on to Lucy's hands.

“What did you do?” she demanded, looking in alarm at her young but frighteningly gifted daughter.

“I took off some age. I made you younger. Ten years off you, Mom - and ten years off you, Dad.”

Molly blinked. She looked to the mirror and stared at the sight of her skin looking fresher and she had a glow to her face that had been fading now she was in her forties. No, her _thirties_. She was in her thirties now and Julian... was in his late twenties! He was looking to the mirror too, and he laughed.

“I look great! I don't think I needed it, but thank you, Lucy!”

Molly turned to her daughter with a worried expression.

“That was a very kind thing to do, but you should never use your ability on Dad. You know he's had a lot of healing agents and -”

“It was only a little bit,” Lucy said, “It's okay.”

And then she slumped to the soft carpet, out cold, exhausted from the effort of handing back youth to her parents.

Oswald had noticed right away, as soon as he came home to see Molly and Julian both looking _great_. They looked ten years younger, and he embraced them both in turn, but quickly let go. Lucy was in her room now, sleeping and still exhausted. Oswald was overjoyed to see his spouses looking so youthful again. But it wasn't enough to fire up desire within him.

“I'm truly happy,” he said with a smile, “And now I'm going upstairs to rest – it's been a very long, far too early, _very_ busy meeting and I want to go back to bed. To sleep. _Alone_ for an hour.”

He made his way up the stairs as Molly and Julian exchanged a glance that read as shared disappointment.

“I guess some things just won't change,” Julian remarked, “I'd better go and check on Anthony.”

Molly gave a heavy sigh as she turned away, Julian went up to the nursery while she went to the kitchen to make coffee. It was eleven am, she was wearing a long silk nightgown with a plunging neckline edged with lace, it was a shade lighter than her coffee and as she paused by the window to watch the kids playing in the garden, she decided on a quieter start to the morning as she left the kitchen and went back down the hallway, opened up the front door and went outside, where the roses were starting to bloom and the morning was bright and the air smelled sweet as the breeze sighed warm through nearby trees.

“Good morning, Mrs Cobblepot, it's a lovely day today!”

She had just walked down the steps from the front door, and she turned on the driveway with her coffee in her hand, to see a car parked close by. Chester Blake was walking over to her and he smiled warmly, then as he struggled to avoid taking in the sight of her in that silken gown, he tried not to think about the shape of her breasts beneath the fabric as he looked at her face, into her eyes and smiled again.

“It's a lovely day, did I just say that before? I'm sorry, I'm a bit forgetful today!”

He laughed nervously, feeling awkward.

On the first floor, Oswald was at the balcony, and he watched as Molly and Chester talked in the sunshine, noticing how Chester was blushing like an awkward schoolboy with a crush as Molly stood there looking stunning in that gown, the sunlight making her dark hair shimmer as they talked together and Chester stuttered and laughed and forgot what he was about to say again.

“I just settled Anthony down for a nap after his feed,” said Julian as he joined him, leaning on the balcony as he stood beside his husband, “Ozzie, are you listening?”

“Yes I heard you...” Oswald's gaze was set below on Molly and Chester, and as Oswald looked at Julian he smiled. Julian saw a light in his eyes that had been absent for a long while...

“Do you think he's cute?” Oswald asked.

”Chester?”

“Yes!”

Julian started to smile. Oswald was actually starting to feel horny again!

“I like the guy, but I only have eyes for you,” Julian replied, “Why, do you have the hots for him?”

“Yes I do,” Oswald said playfully, “He's adorable! Look at the way he's struggling not to flirt with Molly! I could have so much fun with that guy - and so could you!”

“But he's straight,” Julian reminded him, “And while I have no objection to inviting a chosen party in for casual fun, if that's what it takes you turn you on again, remember he's flirting with _Molly_ , Oswald! That guy is totally straight!”

Oswald put his arm around Julian, giving a squeeze that Julian had missed for too long as he shifted closer. Suddenly Oswald felt fired up with passion that had been long absent, and the thoughts that ran through his mind were entirely responsible as he embraced Julian and felt stirrings of arousal.

“ _I would like him to fuck our wife. Molly likes him, I can see it plainly – and you know how I feel about Molly being my slut wife!”_

Julian's gaze brightened to one of joy as he realised his horny Oswald was now back.

“You want to watch them? I'm up for that. You know I like to watch.”

“I think Molly will be up for it,” Oswald agreed, “Look at the two of them... he's showing so much restraint, and so is she! I sense that attraction. And I know Chester well, I like the guy professionally and personally. I do think it would be quite an experience to watch the two of them together.”

“And you need to ask Molly about that.”

Oswald had just pulled Julian closer as their gaze locked and for Julian, this felt like a miracle – Oswald's sex drive was finally back.

“I will ask her, but later,” Oswald assured him, then he took him by the hand, leading him from the balcony to the bedroom where, for the first time in a long while, they shared a passionate kiss as Oswald drew him down on to the bed.

“ _You want me to do what?”_ Molly exclaimed as she turned from the dressing table mirror, setting her hairbrush down as she sat there looking to Oswald and Julian. They both had a glow about them, and by the way Oswald had squeezed her and pulled her close and covered her mouth with a passionate kiss after she had walked into the bedroom earlier and found him and Julian naked together under the covers, it had been clear that _something_ had reignited Oswald's sex drive. That something had been her and Chester, and Oswald's thoughts about the two of them. Oswald had a gleam in his eyes as he drew Julian closer and smiled.

“ _Molly, I want you to fuck that cute Chester Blake, and I want to watch!”_

Molly stared at him. It was late at night and Oswald hadn't lost that sparkle to his gaze all day. He had waited until tonight to explain everything, and she had just been ready to go to bed, when he had mentioned Chester loved her in that night gown... then he had told her the rest.

“I think,” Molly said as she started to smile, “That _you_ want to fuck him, Ozzie!”

“I do, but men are not his type and he likes you!” Oswald said excitedly.

“And what makes you think a straight guy would like you and Julian to get off on watching him perform with me?” Molly exclaimed, “He's totally straight, Oswald! And he's admitted he's a bit of a ladies man, but he's always intended to be a faithful guy – he just wasn't very good at it, that's why his marriages failed. I'm not sure he would be up for this.”

Oswald turned back the covers, stroking his raging hard on.

“But please tell me _you_ are up for it, my dear!”

“I'm up for anything that gets you up, it's like a dream come true seeing you so horny again!”

Molly got up from her seat and went over to the bed, sat on the edge of it and wasted no time sucking on Oswald's cock while Julian watched, jerking off as Oswald moaned and Molly sucked him dry. Their sex life was back, and while Chester becoming involved had so far been no more than an exciting thought they all shared, it had certainly brought back the spark into their lives, Oswald was horny again, and that was something Molly and Julian felt thankful for. Molly had also decided, if Chester was up for this, she would do it. He was a nice guy and she understood what Ozzie saw in him, and if he was willing to play along, there would certainly be sparks flying in all the right ways for the three of them long after the experience was over...

_They made their plans._

Molly wanted to bring this idea into reality as soon as possible, because Ozzie was horny again. So Oswald called Chester, inviting him over for a few drinks while Luna was staying with Fish and the younger kids were on a sleep over with Little Penguin. Gertie and Anthony shared the nursery, and were both fast asleep by the time evening came around and Chester turned up at the door. Julian and Molly were silently thankful that Chester's presence had been the source of the spark that had lit up Oswald's passion once more. They were all keen for this to happen. _All except for Chester, who knew nothing about it yet..._

It was a warm and pleasant evening with the doors to the garden wide open as the sun mellowed to a glowing set. Molly had taken the hint from how Chester had tried not to look at her in that night gown, and tonight she wore a simple, elegant black silk dress that clung to her hips and skimmed her ankles and had a huge slit up the side revealing a flash of stocking top. Chester was standing by the darkened fireplace in the front room, a glass of scotch in his hand as he talked with Oswald. Julian was sitting on the couch, watching at a distance, and he smirked as he glanced at Molly. He was waiting for the action to start.

_But it didn't go quite as planned..._

“So you're finding Gotham an exciting city?” Oswald asked as the two men stood together, he in a dark pinstripe suit and Chester in a light cream suit of fabric suited to the warm weather, the jacket was open, his tie was off and he was making that drink last as he and Oswald spoke about life in the city.

“I adore Gotham!” Chester said with a smile, “It's such an adventurous place!”

Oswald smiled too as a sparkle came to his eyes.

“Very adventurous, if you know what I mean, and I'm sure that you do, Chester. We like to think our three way marriage is not only a union of love and shared devotion, but also a reflection of that spirit of the city. We like to be adventurous in _all_ ways, including the bedroom. How about you?”

Oswald paused there, looking hopefully at him as Chester briefly froze.

“Me?”

Chester's heart was racing as he wondered, had the kinky Cobblepots been considering him for a foursome? As much as he liked the thought of sleeping with Molly, the guys were a definite no. He wasn't into men, never had been and was sure he couldn't persuade himself to try something _that_ new after a lifetime of chasing women – even if he was fond of Ozzie as a friend...

Oswald limped closer, meeting his gaze as he spoke again in a voice smooth as velvet.

“I value your friendship and your professional capacity to serve me when your skills are required in times of crisis, Chester. I am also fond of you company. And I realise that sadly – for me – men are not your type. _But I would love it if you had sex with my wife!_ ”

Chester's jaw dropped. He looked to the doorway, where Molly stood in a shimmering black gown. She gave him a smile.

“This could be fun, if you're up for it,” she said.

Chester's face flushed. He downed his scotch in one, then turned to the table, grabbed Oswald's bottle and the back of it hit the glass as he poured himself a huge double over ice and then took another drink, his hand shaking.

“You want me to... to... “ell, I'm flattered... I would like that, Oswald... Are you _sure?_ ”

He drank from the glass again.

“I'm very sure.”

Chester was _still_ drinking.

He and Oswald carried on talking.

Molly looked on.

Julian gave a sigh as he sat slumped lazily on the couch, watching from a distance as a very nervous Chester Blake poured a third _huge_ glass and drank some more, and as he stepped back from Oswald after more conversation, he staggered.

“I'm honoured, like I said,” he replied with a slight slur to his words, “Your wife is beautiful!” he glanced back at Molly, “You are beautiful!”

As she smiled, he looked back at Oswald as he sipped from the glass again.

“Is it okay to tell your wife that?”

“I just said you could fuck her. We've been talking about this for thirty _long_ minutes now, Chester,” Oswald said with a tight smile as he exercised patience, knowing Chester's reaction was excitement but, it seemed also he had the urge to get very drunk, because he was nervous...

Chester looked up at the picture above the fireplace.

“Nice lady,” he said as he swayed on his feet, “Lovely eyes - and big tits.”

“That is a portrait of my late mother,” Oswald said as tension crept into his voice.

Chester's eyes were glazed.

“A lovely lady! Shame she's late! And when she gets here, is she up for it too?” he laughed nervously, “I'm not sure I can perform for your wife, let alone your mother – I'm a little bit drunk now...”

Oswald gave a sigh of frustration. He had heard rumours that Chester Blake like to drink. He was a social drinker, but he also kept a bottle or two in the office. Oswald had put that down to the pressure of work – his role was to handle all of Oswald's high profile media matters, anything that needed a deceptive spin, and the man did a damned fine job of it, too. But it seemed his crutch in all matters was alcohol, and it wouldn't do any good to hope for an exciting evening tonight, he could barely stand, let alone get hard...

“I meant my late mother as in, she passed away tragically many years ago!” Oswald corrected him.

Chester raised his glass to the portrait of Gertrude.

“She was a beauty!” he declared, “Older, yes, but beautiful! A vintage goddess!” he turned to Oswald, “Here's to vintage goddesses!” his glass collided sharply with Oswald's, splashing scotch over Oswald's jacket. Chester had not noticed the look of annoyance on his face as he drank from his glass again.

“I think I need to sit down,” Chester added, and he staggered over to an arm chair and sat down heavily, setting his glass down on the table before resting against the padded back of the seat, “So how will this work, then? Because As much as I like you Oswald, I'm not shagging you, sorry! I need time alone with Molly, I can't get it up with another guy in the room. I just can't...” he paused for a moment, glancing between his legs and realising he felt no erection beneath his clothing, because he didn't have one tonight, “Sorry,” he said again, “I don't think it's going to happen tonight. Can I crash here until morning? I can't drive home like this... You see, it may not show, but I'm a bit tipsy.”

“ _Don't we fucking know it,”_ Julian muttered as got up sharply and walked out of the room, clearly unimpressed by drunken Chester wrecking his chances of watching Molly get fucked.

Oswald was a little more patient about it as he saw the bemused look on Molly's face.

“I think we scared him,” she said quietly, and then as Oswald told him he could sleep on the sofa tonight, she left the room to fetch him a blanket and pillows. This was not the way they had hoped the evening would end, but it had certainly been amusing, and his reaction had not been one she or the two men in her life would have expected – poor Chester had been caught off guard, and become a nervous wreck. When she returned, he was snoring on the sofa. She left him a pillow and draped him with a blanket and then she left the room, turning out the light as she went upstairs to join Oswald and Julian.

“ _Wake up!”_ a child said sharply.

Chester blinked as a hangover hovered somewhere at the back of his head and he opened his eyes to see a boy standing there. And a girl. And a bulldog... Oh yes, the Cobblepots has kids. And a dog.

“Who are you?” Felix demanded.

“You've seen me before, I work for your father. I'm his friend... my name's Chester.”

He said that as he sat up.

“But what are you doing on our couch?” asked Lucy.

“In our house,” added Felix with suspicion.

“You're in my seat,” Lucy added, “We want to watch TV.”

The dog barked.

“Move!” Lucy said, glaring at him as if he may as well have broken into the place in the middle of the night to steal the spot on the kid's favourite sofa.

“Kids, leave Chester alone, he slept over last night,” Molly said as she came into the room. She was wearing an ordinary white vest and tight blue jeans but the way the light caught on her dark hair, and how her green eyes sparkled as she smiled at him, made his heart miss a beat. He thought about the night before, about how he had quickly sought solace in a bottle after being overcome with nervousness after Oswald, king of the underworld, had invited him to fuck his wife...

“I should leave now,” Chester said as he got up.

“No, you stay and have coffee and breakfast,” Molly insisted, and she beckoned to him as he followed her out of the room, running his fingers through messed up hair as the kids jumped on to the couch, turned up the TV and as the sound carried out of the room, it made his head ache.

Chester was glad to sit at the breakfast table. It was just gone ten am. He didn't know where Oswald or Julian were, but Molly made a bacon sandwich and poured him coffee and it revived him well.

“I'm sorry if last night was a bit unexpected. I hope you're not offended.”

“I'm not,” he replied, “And I would like to take you up on the offer – but I can't have your husband watching me! It's just not my thing, Molly!”

She stood there in the kitchen, leaning against the counter as she turned her head and met Chester's gaze.

“Come back tomorrow,” she told him, “About mid day. The kids will be at school and the younger ones will be having a nap. We can meet in the garden and Oswald can watch from the window.”

He thought about it.

“Well okay, I suppose that's better than having someone else in the same room... but it might rain!”

Molly laughed, and as the sound of her laughter made his heart miss a beat, he was hit with the realisation that he needed to be very careful here – as much as he wanted to take up Oswald's offer he knew he was in serious danger of falling in love with Mrs Cobblepot...

“I'm sure the rain won't stop us,” she said with a smile.

Again, Chester was hit by a very temping and dangerous thought that he was certainly playing with fire now... he was on the brink of falling for Molly, and if he did, that _wasn't_ part of the deal. To fall in love with Oswald's wife put him at heavy risk of a bullet to the head and his body being dumped in the river... _But that wouldn't stop him._

_He wanted her._

_He also knew he would have to be very, very careful._

_This was possibly the most dangerous game he had ever played..._

A day went by.

Chester had gone home to recover from that hangover, and let Oswald's offer settle into his mind. Now he felt more confident. He had called Oswald that morning to be sure he was serious about this. Oswald had been very keen about the whole thing. Now Chester was back, and he parked his car in the driveway, glancing back at security who had let him in on sight as he hoped they were not in on this, too. _Would_ Oswald have told his staff? Probably not, he hoped, as he took the path around the side of the house and went into the garden. Molly was alone, and in a short summer dress. She had just put washing on the line in a small paved area that had a folding clothes line and a small herb garden.

“Good morning, Molly,” Chester said, as he felt more than a little nervous.

Molly turned around and looked at him and smiled warmly, and all trace of unease evaporated as she walked over to join him.

“Ozzie wants us to go to the summer house at the back of the garden and leave the door open,” she said with a giggle, and then she took him by the hand, leading him across the lawn towards a large Victorian style summer house.

The doors were wide open and there was a soft, thick throw on the wooden floor, pillows had been scattered about and it couldn't be clearer why, as Chester looked to the house and saw the clear view from the balcony of the master bedroom, straight into the summer house. They stood there as the heat of the sun came down through the roof, and he smiled as he looked into Molly's eyes.

“So, we're really doing this?”

“I hope so!” Molly exclaimed, and she threw off her dress.

As it hit the floor Chester's eyes went wide as he took in the sight of her shapely, toned body.

“Yes, we are doing this... okay, I'm almost with you, give me a moment...”

He had said that so impatiently as he began to unbutton his shirt and his hands shook. Molly giggled as she turned her head, looking to the balcony. Both her husbands were watching...


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello readers,  
> I will be starting on the final part of Irish Angel, Part 12 Legacy, soonish. I won't be posting any of that yet due to family illness and my focus being off its usual level, I will write when I can and when some of Legacy is ready, Part 12 will appear.

Chapter 11

His kisses had begun shyly, and she had drawn him closer, kissing him harder as they laid back and rolled on the throw on the floor of the summer house.

“Excuse me, Molly...” Chester said as he struggled to unzip then take off his pants, and she had giggled, then as their bodied had joined, he had thrust gently, trying to hold back. His hands were shaking as they slid over her body. He tried not to breathe her name too softly, guarding his heart against the inevitable.

In the house, up on the balcony, Oswald was sweating and impatient as he shoved Julian against the balcony rail, scissoring two fingers in his ass as he gave a whine. Looking over his shoulder, he was fired up to see Molly being fucked by Chester in the summer house.

“ _You fucking filthy slut!”_ he gasped, _“Dirty slut wife!”_

Then he thrust hard into Julian, who took all of his big cock in one brutal, fluid thrust that made him gasp. He clung to the rail as Oswald fucked him, still breathing hard, watching over his shoulder as Chester and Molly fucked, and he fucked Julian harder. He didn't come until his wife and Chester had separated, then he buried deep in Julian, biting his shoulder playfully as the last throb of orgasm spilled inside him. His hand was already on Julian's cock, and he was shaking as he came hard, semen dripping to the floor of the balcony.

Julian looked wrecked as Oswald turned him around and kissed him hard, then they both came up for air. Looking over at the summer house, Chester and Molly were naked, lying together as she turned on her side and they talked and laughed. Then they looked over at the balcony and Chester gave a small wave. Oswald waved back, then took Julian by the hand, leading him inside to suck on his cock, forcing him to come a second time. He felt damned horny now, he was fired up for more...

It was one hell of an afternoon.

And over with too fast, because Julian had to take care of the younger kids while Molly did the school run. This was an hour after she and Chester had gone back into the house, and Oswald had thanked him for his time, and surprised him with a hug saying they would have to do this again some time. Molly had felt a tug on her heart as Chester had left but then Oswald had taken her upstairs and Julian had fucked her, and then Oswald had fucked her too, saying he wanted to fuck his slut wife while she was deep in the come of two men. Ozzie had come so hard she wasn't surprised he wanted to spend the rest of the day in bed. When she came back from the school run, she would tell the kids Dad had a hard day at work, and needed to rest. Julian rested with him. Molly spent the rest of the day with a big smile on her face. But there was also something else settling deep inside her now:

_She liked Chester._

_Really liked him._

_She liked him a little too much..._

What had started as a one off thrill had grown into a once a week arrangement. And the more they met, the more Molly found herself looking forward to her time with Chester. She didn't doubt her love for Ozzie and Julian, but they had come think of him as _their_ Chester, Oswald adored the guy, and Julian enjoyed him coming over for drinks, because they always ended up more than a little drunk and laughing about life together. Chester had started to become a part of their lives, and Oswald saw no harm in it. The thrill of Molly having sex with two men and then him, put him on a high for days afterwards. Chester was no longer just a business associate, he was a friend who Oswald had come to adore from afar. Julian often playfully reminded him that he was crushing on a straight guy, which would get him nowhere, but Oswald simply smiled and agreed to that.

Then Molly got a message from Chester, and it was unexpected. It simply said, _Meet me by the river. Come alone we need to talk. Tell no one else._

Molly had left early for the school run, claiming to need to beat the traffic, and then she had drove over to the river, where she spotted his car parked by a quiet end of the docks. She parked her car along side and got out, and Chester got out too. He walked to waters edge and stood there for a moment, his dark eyes scanning the horizon as a boat passed by in the far distance. The breeze ruffled his dark hair and as he spoke, his accent reminded Molly of holidays she had spent in England before she had met Ozzie and left Ireland.

“I'm sorry about this – I never meant to do anything behind Ozzie or Julian's backs,” he said, and then he turned to her and looked into her eyes.

“What's wrong?” she asked.

There was a flash of panic in his dark brown gaze.

“Everything, Molly! I think I'm in love with you! So go ahead and tell Oswald, I fully expect a bullet in my head, I may as well shoot myself now and you can roll my corpse into the Gotham river - because that's where I'm heading, for this!”

Molly blinked away tears. She had told Oswald, there was a risk with this game they were playing – feelings could and would get involved. But they had already talked about that, and Chester looked so bloody scared at that moment...

“No love,” she said softly, “Oswald adores you. He can see how you feel about me. So can Julian. And they know you're not a threat! It's okay to have feelings for me. Oswald would show his feelings for you a lot more than he does, if he thought you would return it, but he knows you can't. He's very fond of you. And it's fine to have feelings for me. We know you're not going to break up our marriage.”

Chester blinked away tears.

“But when I'm away from you, it hurts!”

That had been a raw and honest confession.

“And you have a life here in Gotham, you have money, you have a job working for Oswald, too - and you have an open door into our lives and you're welcome to it, Chester.”

Gratitude shone in his eyes.

“What did I ever do right to deserve this set up?” he asked.

Molly smiled.

“You met Ozzie,” she replied, and then she hugged him tightly.

As she let go, he felt the loss of her as she stepped back and the breeze blew her long hair and the sunlight caught on the shades of green reflected in her gaze. In that moment he felt certain that if there was one woman who would change his life and compel him to be faithful, Molly Cobblepot was that woman. And he wanted to embrace Oswald and Julian for their understanding, too. Oswald had become so close to him lately, but no matter how much that pretty guy made eyes at him, he was still a guy and Chester knew he was not even remotely bisexual and never would be. Oswald made eyes at him all the time, Julian found it amusing and Chester thought of Oswald simply as a close friend. But it worked, their relationship was great on a working level, a private and personal one too – and if not for his feelings for Molly, he was sure he would carry no guilt.

But as he watched her walk back to the car, he stood there by the river front, keeping thoughts that lie deep in his heart silent as she drove away. He vowed never to tell her he loved her again, because he had no right to love her. His feelings would be kept to himself from now on, as he remained thankful for the fact that the Cobblepots had allowed him into their lives and as for the rest, it was all just a dream. He had to be thankful for what he had, not what his heart longed to possess...

For all the fun Molly and Ozzie and Julian were having with their new friend, in every other way, life went on as normal. Cain was attending many underworld meetings so Oswald could spend more time with the family. Cain and Ronnie were happy to live outside of the city, but every time Cain came back, Ronnie accompanied him, acting as his personal bodyguard. Josh and Jax were carrying out the usual duties, and at home, their family life was settled, with Jax going home each night to Carol and Alicia, and Josh returning home to Selina and sometimes Ivy too, where he spent time with their three children, content to know underworld life was peaceful - for now. Ed Nygma was still the public face of the underworld, making announcements for the press. And if any of those announcements involving underworld life needed to be altered for the benefit of the media, Chester Blake was on hand to put a spin on the tale.

Everything seemed so settled now.

Even little Thorne West was adjusting well, he was out of his biting habit and now freely playing with other children. Oswald was happy to let him come over with Amy and Herbert to play in the garden with Gertie, and as he watched that strange little boy sitting on the lawn and laughing like any other child, he felt sure the kid would turn out okay. These days when friends came over, Oswald had Anthony in his arms. As he had said, he was not a birth father by nature. But he _was_ a father, and he adored his baby son.

The only person whose life was a little different, was Lucy. Those dreams kept on coming, relentlessly, always about Thorne and the explosion many years from now and the day they would stand together to save the city. Sometimes it scared her, other times she wondered if it would be exciting. But she didn't understand the emotions that swirled inside her as she saw through the eyes of her older self, fifteen years from now. She saw herself older, standing with grown up Thorne, looking to the city, standing on a hillside. This was before the explosion ever happened, and Thorne had just spoken and now she was angry:

“ _You seriously think I can create a shield to cover the whole of Gotham?”_

_Thorne stood there dressed in black, wearing his ray bans with his dark hair slicked back as the breeze caught on the tails of his long leather coat. He smiled showing needle sharp teeth as the veins on his pale, mottled face looked dark green._

“ _That's the whole idea,” he confirmed, “You shield the city. I absorb the blast.”_

“ _But I can't shield a city this big!” she exclaimed._

_Thorne took off his shades, revealing a gaze almost as bright as Re Agent._

“ _There's a way,” he confided with a knowing smile, and then the vision faded..._

Lucy was in the garden. That vision was still playing through her mind. The Wests had come over to visit and they had gone into the house for a moment, following Molly into the kitchen while Thorne sat in the playpen on the lawn. Gertie had just been taken off for a nap and Julian was busy feeding Anthony. Lucy sat down by the playpen, watching as Thorne toddled over to her, sat down and smiled.

“You want to get out?” she asked, and Thorne got up and held up his arms. She lifted him out and set him down on the grass in front of her, and he just sat there, blinking neon green eyes as he looked at her.

“I can feel something coming, Thorne,” she confided, “I know you don't understand me yet, but I know things and some day...”

She paused, sensing the future like something on the wind, but her ten year old self could not make sense of it:

_Her Dad was reading her a fairytale. It was Sleeping Beauty._

“ _And even the whole town fell asleep,” he said..._

_She saw the hands on the big clock at city hall slow, freezing as the tick tock tick fell silent..._

_Then she saw her older self again, tearful and afraid as she stood by a window that looked out to the city, then she turned to Shepard, who had not aged a day, and now walked with a cane._

“ _Were all going to die, Lucy!” he said as fear shone in his gaze._

_She hugged him tightly, then watched as the diamond on her finger caught the light and suddenly, she wasn't afraid any more as she drew back._

“ _No,” she vowed as she felt new strength flow through her as sure as she knew her older self loved this man, “No Shep, were not. I'm going to stop this thing, I'll find a way!”_

Lucy blinked and the vision was gone.

She was still here, ten years old and confused about the things she had seen. She wondered what it was like to be in love and why some day, hugging Shepard would make her feel like she could do anything, even save this entire city...

_But she couldn't save it alone._

As she sat there on the lawn, she looked at the little boy who sat there looking at her, that little kid with the bright green eyes and green veins on his pale flesh. He smiled up at her as his needle sharp teeth caught the sunlight.

“Hurry up and get older,” she said to Thorne, “Because something happens when you're sixteen and I'm twenty five. And it takes both of us to stop it. Some day Ill need your help to save this city, Thorne.”

And Thorne West looked back at her and laughed, clapping hands tipped with sharp nails as amusement sparkled in his bright gaze.

“Lu Lu!” he said in his rough voice.

She held out her hand.

“Some day, you and me will be a team,” she added.

Thorne placed his hand on her open palm, smiling as he spoke again.

“Team!” he repeated.

She smiled too as she held his small hand as little claw nails scraped at her palm.

“That's right, Thorne – team!” she told him as she looked into the small child's eyes, “And some day, you and me will save Gotham!”

Thorne laughed, still too young to understand what Lucy had said. And Lucy sat there, thinking on all she knew:

_Yes, she and Thorne would be a team._

_Some day, they would also be this city's only hope..._

End

This fic continues in His Irish Angel Part 12 : Legacy, which will be the final instalment of this huge serial! It's coming soon.


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